Hospitality Tourism Department Head Patricia Agnew Highlighted on Cvent

This week, Alan Kleinfeld highlighted Ms. Agnew in the Cvent Hospitality Education Spotlight:
"It's easy to see when you meet Patricia Agnew that she has a passion not only for the culinary arts, but for those students studying culinary arts as well. She's even done some of her own studying in Paris."
Degree/Designation: Masters Degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Administration, University of South Carolina; Intermediate Certificate of Culinary Studies, La Varenne Ecole De Cuisine; and Certified Hospitality Educator, American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute.
Years as an Educator: 15+
Years in the Meetings/Hospitality Industry: 25+
Name of Institution: Trident Technical College
Name of Program/Educational Focus: Culinary Institute of Charleston
How long has the program been around: Since 1987
How many students are in the program? "Recent enrollment figures reflect nearly 1,000 students enrolled in associate degree programs in hospitality and tourism management and culinary arts plus multiple certificate programs."
Favorite subject you teach and why? "Teaching Introduction to Hospitality is always a pleasure as students begin to understand the true meaning of service and explore career options available to them in the industry."
What do you see as the challenges facing students in the coming years? How can they best prepare? "As the hospitality industry continues to grow with staggering speed, students are challenged to explore every possible avenue for understanding future growth of the industry including technology, ecological awareness, diversity in the global marketplace and rapidly evolving changes in communication. We urge them to prepare through frequent networking, engaging in discussions with industry mentors, gaining valuable volunteer experience and pursuing professional certifications to build prospects for future success."
"With over 150,000 supplier profiles, the Cvent Supplier Network is the industry's most comprehensive online database of hotels, special event venues, conference centers, convention centers, audio-visual companies, caterers and more."

CIC's Helen Hayes Takes First in the Southeast Regional Almost Famous Chef Competition and CIC's Stephen Seguin Takes Second - a CIC SWEEP!



Stephen preparing his dish.

   

Helen's critique.



Congrats to both Helen and Stephen Seguin for representing the CIC in this prestigious competition by taking a sweep of both first and second in the judging. With her signature dish of Thai Inspired Halibut with Sautéed Shrimp and Coconut Rice, Helen landed a spot in the finals at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley, California, March 9-12, 2012. CIC Chef Instructor Scott Stefanelli served as the CIC team mentor with assists from Chefs Ward Morgan and Kevin Mitchell.

The Southeast Regional took place at The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Atlanta. Stephen and Helen competed against Andres Mera-Borja of Johnson and Wales University – Charlotte and Reina Shanks and Juliana Weygand of The Culinary Institute of Savannah at Savannah Technical Institute.

Judge Mentors Chefs Rathburn, Fry, and Klaskala

The judges were: Chef Kevin Rathbun (also participating as a chef mentor) of Kevin Rathbun Steak, Chef Ford Fry (chef mentor) of JCT Kitchen and Bar, Chef Gerry Klaskala (chef mentor) of Aria Restaurant, and Chef Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene. Media judges were Hope S. Philbrick (freelance writer/editor), Besha Rodell of Creative Loafing Atlanta, Valerie Hoff of 11Alive and WXIA-TV and Chloe Morris of Chow Down Atlanta.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the S.PellegrinoTM Almost Famous Chef Competition. More than 70 culinary schools and student competitors, along with renowned chefs, will take part in culinary competitions across leading markets and culinary schools in the U.S. and Canada.

FOLLOWUP: For a great blog with pictures of the mystery box competition, see:
http://www.tinyurbankitchen.com/2012/03/10th-annual-s-pellegrino-almost-famous.html

Chef Carmel Quoted in Article about Gluten Sensitivity

A February 8 City Paper article  by Nikki Seibert titled "The horrors of the gluten-sensitive sufferer," quoted CIC's Culinary Department Head Michael Carmel. Carmel recently developed the Institute's degree and certificate programs in Sports and Health Nutrition.

"Chef Michael Carmel, culinary department head at the Culinary Institute of Charleston, is working on addressing these issues. His students are trained on how to handle food allergies and preferences through a variety of courses from kitchen sanitation to menu development. Carmel believes that catering to those with dietary restrictions, whether it is gluten, nuts, or animal products, 'is not only a business opportunity but it is essential.' In his eyes, ignoring these groups is limiting your customer base and missing an incredible opportunity to stand out."

For the complete story, see: http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/the-horrors-of-the-gluten-sensitive-sufferer/Content?oid=4013036&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Weekly

CIC Students join Chef Black to recycle oyster shells

Chef Black, Herbert Thornton, & Angela Walp

Thanks to Chef Black, Board member of the Mount Pleasant Coastal Conservation Association, and the CIC students that helped with the oyster shell recycling program at the Oyster Festival.

"Although South Carolina's commercial shellfish harvest has remained stable over the past three decades, the closing of oyster canneries and most shucking houses during this period has resulted in a shortage of shucked oyster shell needed to cultivate and restore oyster beds." SC Department of Natural Resources.
To learn about the shell recycling program:

http://saltwaterfishing.sc.gov/oyster.html  

Chef Mitchell Is A Participant in The 2012 Minority Chef Summit

Culinary Wonders USA, Cuisine Noir and Black Culinary History sponsored the first Minority Chefs Summit.
Martin Luther King Weekend, 2012 Jacksonville, Florida
Chef Kenny Gilbert: the vast areas of culinary dining possibilities

Featured Chefs: Chef Joe Randall, Chef Kevin Mitchell, Chef Matthew Raiford, Chef Todd Richards, Chef Hugh Sinclair, Chef Cassandra J. Jones, Chef Erika Davis, Chef Duane Nutter and Chef Wayne Johnson.

Chef Mitchell with Chef Joe Randall

The goal of the three-day Summit was for chefs to come together to share their passion and heritage, and to look ahead to their future in the culinary world and create their vision. Said Summit organizer, Chef Erika Davis: "When planning began for the Summit we were all in agreement that one of the issues that had to be addressed was identity because in order to begin to solve the issues of inclusion, representation, supplemental culinary history education, and the dozen other topics facing us in the culinary world, we first had to deal with our collective culinary identity. The starting point was Chef Kevin Mitchell and a sixteen-year-old senior thesis he had written while at the CIA. It was a brilliant telling of our evolution in American cooking, with an eye toward the changes he felt we had to make as a community in order to cement our future in this work. When we all read the paper we were blown away by its intensity and the fact that sixteen years later it still resonated. With Kevin and his paper as the base of the conversation we then looked to Chef Joe Randall to provide the flourish. I don't think that any discussion on the topic of heritage would be complete with out Chef Joe and his historical insight and legendary candor."

TOPICS:

• Chef Matthew Raiford: organic, sustainable farming and cooking
• Chefs Todd Richards, Duane Nutter, Joe Randall, and Kevin Mitchell: Soul Food- is it a trend or is it African-American Cuisine
• Liz Morgan (PR Manager): Staying connected through social media, public relation for successful chefs, publishing books
• Chefs Kevin Mitchell and Cassandra Jones: the importance of education/ educators
• Chef Wayne Johnson: the importance of mentoring students, financial support, techniques support
• Chef Richard: the battle of obesity and the red coat campaign for the American Heart Association
• Chefs Tim Koerner and Todd Richards: Demo with Sosa products

 Chef Mitchell also cooked for the fundraising final evening's Night on the Hill Dinner at the Casa Marina Hotel and Resort. The other chefs on the team were Chefs Todd Richards, Duane Nutter, Erika Davis, Matthew Raiford, Joe Randall, and Wayne Johnson.

Night on the Hill Dinner
Chef Mitchell's dish top row, next to last