May 27, 2016
La
Volume 37, No. 07
Papillote Celebrating CIA’s Founders Day May 22, 2016
CIA’s 70th Anniversary
Trending Podcasts: Gravy & Burnt Toast
Industry Changes: Overtime Pay Extension
BY: Makena Wininger, AOS Culinary
Most technology trends are a boom and bust situation. Today’s “hot new thing” will be totally different in a week’s time, if not by tomorrow. However, the tech trend of podcasting is the exception to that rule. Podcasts have been in existence for over a decade, yet unlike other trends and rather than hitting the scene, becoming wildly popular, and then quickly falling out of favor, they have stuck around. The podcast trend has been a slow and steady one, but it is on the rise. In a world where the AM/FM radio and the hard-copy magazine are quickly disappearing, pioneers of the radio and print industries have found a way to reinvent themselves and make it marketable to the instant download and streaming society we live in today.
With podcasts slowly gaining popularity, this opened a new door to the food media industry. Currently, iTunes hosts 240 different food-related podcasts covering everything from homebrewing to vegan cooking. They are hosted by people from every level of the culinary world, from famous chefs to food bloggers to home-cooks. Having all of these different voices commenting on our food, how we grow it, the way we eat it, and how to make it better, lends to a great wealth of information out there just waiting to be heard. But with over 240 options, where does one even start? Well, I have a couple suggestions for those who are willing to give podcasts a try. From the curators of the food blog Food52 comes Burnt Toast, a show hosted by Kenzie Wilbur and a rotating cast of guests.
Cont’d on Pg 5
BY: Ian Gilchrist, AOS Baking & Pastry
Thinking about graduation and employment prospects? Freaking out about those outrageous student loans? Well, I have good news for you! Restaurant workers received a gift from the Obama Administration this week, a new regulation that will extend overtime pay to, essentially, the entire industry. According to the Department of Labor, millions of employees will be eligible for overtime pay, extending it to employees who make up to $47,500 per year. It will also jump every three years to keep up with inflation. The new rule will go into effect December 1, 2016, but how it plays out will vary from business to business. As it currently stands, only 7% of workers in the United States qualify for overtime pay. Workers in the restaurant industry will receive a much
needed raise, receiving 1.5 times their pay after working 40 hours per week. In an industry where working 50-60 hours is not uncommon, the new overtime regulation will boost the income of employees who frequently sit just above the poverty line. As of 2016, the Department of Labor reports that nearly 40% of restaurant workers are impoverished, and as of 2012 they reported the restaurant industry was the lowest paying in the United States. This new regulation will hopefully come as a reprieve from financial hardship. Republicans in Congress have worked tirelessly to block attempts to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $10.00 per hour. The Department of Labor estimates that the “average U.S. wage for Chefs, Lead Cooks, and
Pastry Chefs is $45,920. For Bakers that number is $26,270.” Salaried employees making less than $47,500 will automatically qualify for overtime pay. In addition, New York City recently raised minimum wage to $15.00 per hour to better improve lower-class income. The anticipated result is that by expanding overtime coverage, wages across the industry will level out. As a result, those with more experience will receive a further bump in pay to adjust. Extra long hours are traditionally expected to move you up the ranks in businesses; sacrificing your time to show how dedicated you are to your job. Unfortunately in some circumstances, this has been exploited by the restaurant industry. Employees have been put on salary, guaranteeing that
emergency you are likely to encounter on an airline anyway, right? So what happened in the world that lifted chefs up to higher approval ratings than doctors? Primarily I think we have television to thank for that. If you have been watching TV for the past 15-20 years or so, or know someone who has been watching TV, you’d have noticed the sharp increase in the amount of cooking programs that exist. And existence is an understatement. Thriving would be a more accurate verb. The most popular of
these programs are the circuses where contestants run hither and thither in a panic, dramatic music plays, people shout, and dishes are always plated in the last ten seconds. It’s a mess. With the rise of these lively cooking shows, there has also been the simultaneous establishment (some might say entrenchment) of the celebrity chef. They are commonplace now, but ask any person above the average CIA student age and they will tell you there was a time when no such person existed on network television.
Cont’d on Pg 5
White Jacket, Blue Collar
BY: Tristan Heath, AOS Culinary
Gravy: print and podcast—is the James Beard Foundation’s Publication of the Year. photo courtesy: www.southernfoodways.com
“From the Editor’s Desk”
“Campus”
70 Years of Excellence
P2
To what extent do you think the general public (non-food service people) understands a career based in the kitchen? We live in a time where the title of ‘chef’ is highly revered and celebrated. Some contemporary surveys meant to assess people’s level of respect for different job titles even have chefs beating out doctors. Imagine the stereotypical movie scene where an emergency is encountered in the middle of a flight and instead of desperately calling out for a MD they ask for a cook. And quite frankly, the food is the most common
Papillote
CENTER SPREAD
“Feature”
Time for a Change
P 4-5
P 6-7
P8
“Graduation”
En P3
Cont’d on Pg 4
BACK PAGE
“Campus”
One Step Begins a Journey