CIC's John Ondo Post & Courier Chef of the Week

Meet Chef John Ondo of Lana
By Angel Powell, Special to The Post and Courier
Thursday, April 22, 2010

"Chef John Ondo, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of Charleston, has worked in some of the most acclaimed restaurants in Charleston. He found his calling with the Mediterranean cuisine of Lana Restaurant & Bar as a chef and partner in 2005."
IF YOU GO:
What: Lana Restaurant & Bar.
Where: 210 Rutledge Ave.
Phone: 720-8899. Website: www.lanarestaurant.com.

For the complete story, see: http://www.charlestonscene.com/news/2010/apr/22/22chef/
File photo The Post & Courier

CIC Grad Duane Fernandes at Grove Park Inn

According to the April 13 Asheville Citizen-Times, on Thursday, June 10th, award-winning Charleston chefs Sean Brock from McCrady's and Jacques Larson of Wild Olive will joining the Grove Park Inn's Horizons Dining Room Chef du Cuisine Duane Fernandes to create a special menu for the inaugural dinner of its wine dinner series.

"Chef Fernandes attended Johnson and Wales University, followed by The Culinary Institute of Charleston where he graduated with an Associates Degree in Culinary Arts. While in Charleston, Fernandes worked at several notable restaurants, including the highly acclaimed Peninsula Grill, Lemaire in Richmond, Virginia and [New York's] Michelin three-star restaurant Per Se (rated the seventh best restaurant in the world)." http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20100413/NEWS01/100413043/1311

Fourteenth Class of MUSC Dietetic Interns

The fourteenth class of MUSC interns recently completed their rotation at CIC. One of twenty rotations in fourteen different settings during their ten-month internship, their week at CIC is one of the most popular. In fact, no other dietetic internship program in the country offers a week in an accredited culinary program, a element that adds to the prestige of the MUSC program. This year, ninety students from all over the country competed for MUSC's eight Dietetic Intern spots.

On their last day, the interns participated in a school lunch Iron Chef Challenge, which was judged by three school children Chef Instructors Ben Black and Miles Huff, and Kelley Martin, MPH, RD, LD, Manager, Nutrition Education and Research Programs
MUSC Digestive Disease Center. (see above)

CIC Hosts Lodging Management Competition

On March 20, the Culinary Institute of Charleston hosted the Charleston County Lodging Management Program Student Invitational at Palmer Campus with the support of Hospitality Association of S.C. facilitators Douglas O'Flaherty and Xavier Meier.

Lodging management students from Garrett Academy of Technology and West Ashley High School competed for top honors in hospitality knowledge bowl and banquet event planning challenges. Following the competition, Hospitality Department Head Patricia Agnew presented information about the CIC's hospitality management and culinary arts programs for the students, their instructors and families.

CIC Italy Trip Featured in Magazine

The winter 2010 issue of "International News" of the Community Colleges for International Development, Inc., featured an article by Hospitality and Tourism Department Head Patricia Agnew, with Katherine Purcell, on CIC's Study Abroad Italy Trip.

"While food preparation and presentation can be taught in the kitchen and the classroom, sustainable food practices - the manner in which meals tie the family and community to the economy and the environment - must be experienced firsthand in order to be fully understood. To that end, faculty and students from the CIC at TTC traveled to APICIUS International School of Hospitality in Florence, Italy, to learn the roles that food, education and culture play in the sustainablitiy movement and the international marketplace," Ms. Agnew wrote.

For the full article, see: http://ccid.kirkwood.cc.ia.us/resources/newsletter/Winter09-10.pdf

Photos by Patricia Agnew

CIC Student Wins Contest to Nickname Mario Batali

"Wine Enthusiast" Magazine recently "appointed Mario Batali the King of La Cucina." And they asked readers: "What nickname would you bestow upon this legendary chef?"

CIC student Ashly Broshious won with her entry: "Good King Mario Batalisauce the Forkith." The prize: the crown that Batali wore for the story and Ashley wears in her picture. Congratulations, Ashley!

"Über-Chef Mario Batali, replete with ubiquitous orange clogs, slicked back ponytail and mischievous smirk, is every bit as knowledgeable and personable as one would imagine after years of public exposure through his various television shows, cookbooks and guest appearances. Spanning coast to coast, his 12 iconic restaurants include six in New York City, two in Los Angeles, three in Las Vegas and one in Westchester County, New York. Batali’s vast wealth of knowledge on all things food related (especially when it comes to Italy), along with his focus on Italian food and wine via his restaurants, easily earn him the king of la cucina." "Wine Enthusiast"

CIC Gives Diversity Dinner as 2010 Charleston Wine + Food Festival Event

Pictured at Top Center at the Dining for Diversity event are (from left) Farmer Lee Jones, Chef Matthew Raiford, Chef Marvin Woods, Chef Roberto Santibenez, Chef Alex Askew, Andrea Robinson, Chef Ron Duprat, Chef Al Stephens, Chef Peng Looi, TTC President Mary Thornley, Chef Kyle Ketchum, and Chef Kevin Mitchell.
The Culinary Institute of Charleston at Trident Technical College hosted a “Dining for Diversity” dinner March 6, which featured celebrity chefs from across the country. The dinner, part of the BB&T Charleston Wine + Food Festival, was held to raise awareness of the movement to bring diversity to the culinary field and to launch the first student chapter of the BCA in the Southeast at the Culinary Institute of Charleston.

The BCA is a nationwide nonprofit educational and networking organization of hospitality and food service professionals that provides educational and professional opportunities for culinary and hospitality professionals of color. The event was hosted by BCA President Alex Askew and Culinary Institute of Charleston Chef Instructor Kevin Mitchell.
“This event showcased the level of diversity that is found in professional kitchens across the country,” said Chef Mitchell. “It also highlighted to our students that the culinary field offers unlimited career opportunities for people of color.”
Six other renowned chefs worked with 15 Culinary Institute students to prepare a six-course dinner with paired wines for more than 50 guests. The dinner was held at the Culinary Institute’s 181 Palmer Dining Room on the college’s Palmer Campus in downtown Charleston.
“The students, faculty and facility are top notch at the Culinary Institute of Charleston,” said Chef Askew. “The hard work displayed by the students’ abilities and attitude speak volumes to their educational environment.”

Celebrity chefs participating in the dinner were Chef Marvin Woods, chef/partner of Funxion restaurant in Washington, D.C., author of two cookbooks and an Emmy Award-nominated Turner Broadcasting show, “Home Plate”; Chef Peng Looi, owner of Louisville, Kentucky’s award-winning restaurant August Moon Chinese Bistro and co-owner/executive chef of Asiatique; Chef Al Stephens, corporate pastry chef overseeing Chef Todd English’s pastry program in all of his restaurants; Chef Ron Duprat, contestant on Bravo’s “Top Chef” and executive chef of Hollywood Beach, Florida’s Marriott; Chef Roberto Santibanez, owner of Fonda restaurant in Park Slope Brooklyn, New York; and Chef Kyle Ketchum, former executive chef of Newport’s The Chanler at Cliff Walk. Andrea Robinson of andreawine.com, Farmer Lee Jones of chefsgarden.com, and Matthew Raiford of Heritage Link Brands also attended the event.

“I have been a culinary arts educator for the past seven years and I have never worked with a more dedicated set of students than those attending the Culinary Institute of Charleston,” said Raiford, who provided food service equipment training to the students earlier in the day. “The dedication they showed was an excellent reflection of the education that they are receiving, for the students not only followed directions to the letter but were also extremely passionate about getting it all right the first time. This made for a wonderful event, and made me anxious to come back to Charleston next year!”
The celebrity chefs enjoyed cooking with the students as much as the students enjoyed getting hands-on experience with their culinary heroes. “It was a great pleasure working with knowledgeable, passionate and eager culinary students,” said Chef Looi. “They were very enthusiastic about the event and showed a very true interest in everything going on,” added Chef Ketchum.
For more information about the BCA visit www.bcaglobal.org or call (212) 643-6570.

Photos by Chancel Nuque.