Culinary Institute of Charleston Students Create Special Events!

Culinary Institute of Charleston Dean, Dr. Frankie Miller, gives kudos to the school's culinary and hospitality stars:
Each January, students, staff and faculty participate in two major events hosted by the Culinary Institute at Trident Technical College. One evening is the Vintners’ Dinner for five hundred and fifty guests. The formal dinner includes four courses with stellar wine pairings. Live and silent auctions entertain guests and provide scholarship dollars for students. The second event is a Wine Expo featuring tastings from forty different vineyards from across the nation, an extravagant reception buffet for 1,500-1,800 guests and a remarkable silent auction. CIC students prepare and serve both events along with the wine partner and sponsor Southern Wine & Spirits. Our CIC students not only excell in their classes but experience their career fields with these events. CIC students are outstanding!

TTC Culinary Grad and Partner Top Chefs of Oyster Festival Contest!

TTC Culinary grad Michael Clucas, a sushi chef at the popular French bistro Rue de Jean, partnered up with Coast sous chef Julius Kaiser to take up top prize in the Charleston Restaurant Association's Oyster Festival Recipe Contest. Their inspiration was Japan. "We wanted," Kaiser told The Post and Courier, "to bring a little Japanese cuisine and technique and match them with the oysters of the Lowcountry." Their concept: Oysters - New Style Sashimi. One of their offerings was:

Oysters Tataki
1/2 ounce yuzu juice (see cook's note)
5 oysters on the half-shell
5 cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon hot Thai chili sauce, Sriracha brand preferred
Hawaiian sea salt to taste (see cook's note)

Mix the yuzu and lemon juices.
Lightly sear the surface of each oyster with a mini butane torch, but do not cook, leaving it rare. (The broiler can be used if a torch is not available.)
Top the oysters with the juice mixture, a cilantro leaf and a drop of Thai chili sauce. Season with Hawaiian sea salt to extract flavors. Serve immediately.

Cook's Note: Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit. It has a sour flavor with characteristics of grapefruit, tangerine and lemon. It can be found bottled at Asian markets and some gourmet shops. Equal parts of grapefruit and lemon juices can be mixed and used as a substitute.

Cook's Note: Hawaiian sea salt is a clay salt with a bright pink color found in Hawaii. Course sea salt can be used as a substitute.