Chef Mitchell Interviewed in RestaurantReport

Missing Ingredients in Our Kitchens...An Interview with Chef Kevin Mitchell

By Bob Bickell

"I had an opportunity to speak with chef Kevin Mitchell who is a Chef Instructor at the Culinary Institute of Charleston located at the Trident Technical College in Charleston. He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, an active member of the ACF, and a founding father of the BCA (Bridging Culinary Awareness). The BCA's objective is to motivate urban challenged high school students and introducing them to the culinary arts as a viable career option. Member benefits include quality educational and employment resources, job coaching, mentoring as well as networking support with the goal of bridging culinary arts in the new millennium.

"He is a dedicated and extremely passionate teacher who loves this industry and is totally dedicated to his students. He is a class act in every respect, and he did not shy away from answering my questions. "

To read the whole interview, see: http://www.restaurantreport.com/chef_talk/chef_talk_kevin-mitchell.html

ICES Brings Three Days of Sugar to CIC

For three sweet days, Bronwen Weber, Executive Pastry Chef and Instructor from Frosted Art Bakery & Studio in Dallas, led a group of some forty cake experts through a set of new techniques. This was a seminar for ICES, the International Cake Exploration Societé, "an organization comprised of over 3,500 sugar artists, cake decorators and vendors from all over the world." Two CIC grads were in attendence: Gwen Simons, of Sweet Creations in Charleston, and Julie Kay Fowler, of Couture Creations in Greenville.

Renata Dos Santos Named Culinary Legend

We are late announcing that CIC student Renata Dos Santos was awarded the Laura Hewitt Culinary Legend Award due to a delay in obtaining the official photograph, but we are still proud to post this exciting news. The official press release from the Charleston Food + Wine Festival follows.
Celebrating Charleston's Culinary Legends
2009 winners of the Laura Hewitt Culinary Legend Award
At the Festival's Opening Ceremonies, four leaders in the culinary community were awarded with the "Laura Hewitt Culinary Legend Award". This award was designed to honor individuals and organizations who have excelled in the culinary community of Charleston, or who have contributed significantly to Lowcountry cuisine. The 2009 winners were:

Individual Award Winner: Richard Elliott: owner of Maverick Southern Kitchens, has been a pioneer in the culinary industry. A risk taker, he has opened a number of successful restaurants around the state including three of Charleston's most popular. He is an active member of the community and is involved with organizations such as the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Chamber of Commerce.

Chef Award Winner (new category for awards): Chef Robert Carter: a leader in the chef community, Robert is the Executive Chef and Co-owner of Peninsula Grill. Robert started and has continued planning the annual Chef's Feast, an annual fundraiser for the Lowcountry Food Bank. He was named 2008 SC Hospitality Association "Mentor of the Year" for the Pro-Start National Culinary Arts Competition at Wando High School. He is also one of the inaugural members of the Culinary Institute of Charleston Chef Council, Industry Advisor for the Art Institute of Charleston, member of Sustainable Seafood and Lowcountry Local First and voted "Best Chef" by City Paper for eight years and "Best Restaurant" for ten years. Robert was nominated for an Outstanding Restaurant in 2008 by the James Beard Foundation.

College Student Award Winner: Renata Dos Santos: a college student at the Culinary Institute of Charleston is very involved on campus and with the American Culinary Federation. Renata has volunteered at a number of community events such as Vintner's Dinner, Chef's Feast, Taste of Charleston and Camp Happy Days. She is involved with Slow Foods Charleston and has worked at The Lodge, Sea Island, My Personal Chef and Magnolias.

Organization Award Winner: Charleston Restaurant Association: The Charleston Restaurant Association has been a vital community organization for several years and has been marketing Charleston's restaurants locally and throughout. They have created signature events to elevate the restaurant community such as the Oyster Festival and the Taste of Charleston, and continue to improve these events every year.

Winners from the 2008 Festival included Sustainable Seafood Initiative and Chef Brett McKee from Oak Steakhouse. 2007 Festival winners included John Taylor, "Hoppin' John", winner of the "Individual" category, Gayle Rawlins, winner of the "College Student" category( a CIC grad), Emily Byrd, winner of the "High School Student" category, and American Culinary Federation-Charleston Chapter, winner of the "Organization" category of the Culinary Legend Awards. For the 2009 Festival, in honor of Laura Hewitt, Board of Director Chair for the Festival, and her leadership the past two years with the Festival, the award was renamed the Laura Hewitt Culinary Legend Award.

On Monday, May 11th, CIC's group takes off for its Maymester Study Abroad in Italy. They will return to Apicus, The Culinary Institute of Florence, CIC's partner for our last Study Abroad trip. Attending are CIC students Lee Evans, Judy Brown, Darla Robinson, Josh Ody, Bobby Sills, Chris Holme and Wayne Gaybo, accompanied by Hospitality Department Head Patricia Agnew and Instructor Lisa Buzzelli. Keep an eye on the blog for pictures and postings!

CIC Chefs Council Member Wins Beard Award

Congratulations to Chef Mike Lata of FIG restaurant, who brought home the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef Southeast! The Beard Awards are very prestigious - often called the culinary equivalents of Oscars.
In addition, Chef Lata was featured in the May issues of Gourmet and Forbes magazines.

Chef Lata is a member of the Culinary Institute of Charleston's Chefs Council.

Spring Petits Fours Class Makes Beautiful Bites

Spring 2009 Petits Fours Class, Palmer Campus Bakeshop
Chef Jeff Alexander and his talented class turned out an array of tantelizing petits fours that were as sweet on the tastebuds as they were on the eye. Too many for any one class to consume, the students generously plated up mouthwatering selections of petits fours on mirror trays and served their creations to the lucky diners at 181 Palmer. Congratulations all!

Food Network Films National Prostart Competition

When he was asked to be one of the judges for the National Prostart Competition in San Diego in April, CIC Culinary Department Head Michael Carmel didn't know that the Food Television Network would be filming it. Guy Fieri, of Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives and Guy's Big Bites, brought three camera crews out so that they could cover the judges as well as the teams.
Photo courtesy of Herr Photography.