Congrats to CIC Grad Andrea Lever Upchurch for Her Post and Courier Shout Out

CIC grad Andrea Lever Upchurch is the Executive Pastry Chef for the Hospitality Management Group, whose restaurants include Cypress, Blossom, and Magnolias. Her Tropical Baked Alaska just received a shout out in the Post and Courier Food Section column Sum of Its Parts. 

"The local inspiration for the dessert was a robust crop of kiwis, which flavor the ice cream between the cake layers. The cake is key lime chiffon, which freezes better than buttery pastry. The outer layer is Italian meringue, which is made with heated sugar syrup instead of dry sugar and flavored with Malibu rum. The toasted coconut atop the meringue adds crunch. To give the roasted pineapple a deep flavor that contrasts with the lightness of the cake, Upchurch soaks the fruit in Meyer's dark rum. The creme Anglaise dotting the plate also gets a hit of Malibu." 
We can't wait to get down to Cypress and try it!

Baking and Pastry Chef Instructor Kelly Wilson Gets Post and Courier Coverage

Reengineered Coconut Cake

In her Post and Courier coverage of the ACF Southeast Regional Conference, food writer and restaurant critic Hanna Raskin wrote: 
"Chocolate, the fallback dessert ingredient for many young chefs, doesn’t fare well in the Lowcountry. “It’s hot down here,” Kelly Wilson, an instructor at Trident Tech’s Culinary Institute of Charleston, this week explained during an American Culinary Federation regional conference session dedicated to regional pastry. “In terms of climate, that dictates what you can make and what you can store,” Wilson said.

"But Wilson urged her audience to think beyond chocolate for other reasons, too: While chocolate has a long central American history (and shorter European history), a bevy of other ingredients are more closely tied to the Native American, African, British and French cultures that are reflected in traditional Charleston foodways. Chefs who reflexively localize their savories sometimes forget about fortified wine, black walnuts, rice, sweet potatoes and coconuts when planning last courses, Wilson suggested."
For more: http://raskin.postandcourier.com/2014/04/30/putting-a-lowcountry-spin-on-dessert-plates/

Scholarship Luncheon Photos Include Two CIC Donors

The Trident Technical College Foundation just posted photos from the 2014 Scholarship Luncheon on the Trident Technical College Alumni and Friends Facebook page   and we found these photos of two great CIC donors. Thanks to Linn Lesesne and Rick Widman, who generously give The Charming Inns and Circa 1886 Scholarship. CIC students benefiting from this scholarship are: Suzan J. Endicott, Kathleen M. Epperson, Eugenia F. Fields, Brittany N. Meyers, and Jeremy A. Young.

CIC Grad B. J. Dennis Hosts at Le Creuset

Le Creuset asked B.J. to host one of their L'Atelier cooking classes. (Chef Kevin Mitchell lending a hand.) Check out the menu!

Le Creuset's L’Atelier – the workshop – is a fully equipped demonstration kitchen designed by SieMatic and equipped with the highest quality Miele appliances.

http://cookware.lecreuset.com/cookware/content_Le-Creuset-Atelier_10151_-1_20002

Two Special Awards Given at the 2014 Graduates Luncheon

Relish restaurant was the site this morning of the 2014 Graduates Luncheon. (See the CIC Facebook page for photos of all the smiling faces: CIC Facebook ) Along with certificates and kudos for all of the hard-working attendees who completed their programs, there were two special awards presented for service to and support of the CIC above and beyond.
The Dean Frankie Miller Hospitality Award was presented to Neida Borrero-Rivers and the Chef William Stacks Memorial Culinary Award was presented to Ms. Johnnie Gibson. Congratulations to all!

Spring at 181 Palmer, CIC's Downtown Campus Restaurant

Roasted Triggerfish, Warm Potato Salad,
 Pea Shoots, Dill Pickle Vinaigrette 

Buttermilk Tart, Meyer Lemon Jam, Strawberry Compote

Chef Kevin Mitchell participates in Atlanta tribute to Chef Darryl Evans

With Charlotte Lyons
former food editor  of Ebony Magazine

Last weekend, Chef Kevin Mitchell participated in a Memorial Scholarship Gala celebrating the life and legacy of Chef Darryl Evans. 

"Evans, who died on February 26 at the age of 52, was not only one of Atlanta’s most influential chefs, he served as a role model and mentor to a generation of black culinarians saw kitchen-work not as a dead-end job but as a path served as a role model and mentor to a generation of black culinarians who saw kitchen work not as a dead-end job but as a path to a creative and fulfilling career." - Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Read more: http://blogs.ajc.com/food-and-more/2014/03/04/remembering-pioneering-chef-darryl-evans/
and: to a creative and fulfilling career.” – Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Read more about Chef Evans:  http://blogs.ajc.com/food-and-more/2014/03/04/remembering-pioneering-chef-darryl-evans/   and http://www.southernfoodways.org/remembering-darryl-evans/ http://www.southernfoodways.org/remembering-darryl-evans/

Congrats to CIC Alum Andy Henderson for a Great Review of Edmund's Oast

Writing of Edmund's Oast, the restaurant/brewery where Henderson is chef, Post and Courier reviewer Hanna Raskin states: "The venue, which represents the most significant addition to the city's upscale dining scene since The Ordinary opened in late 2012, has doubly proved that Charleston's Colonial past is rich for culinary mining.

"If you're in a Nordic mood, you'll want the poached shrimp, pressed onto a gently grilled slice of dark rye bread slathered with lemony mayonnaise and garnished with pickled onions and feathery dill sprigs. In the realm of bread and spread, though, nothing beats the airy ricotta cheese, blessed with a tang that's positively Pavlovian: I can't even write about the stuff without my salivary glands firing.

"Equally bewitching was the spiced turnip custard, served in a white tureen for a dose of yesteryear fun. Under a canopy of bitter arugula leaves, the custard has a splendid earthy sweetness that's echoed by the sauteed mushrooms tossed into the mix.

"Vegetarians will fare well at Edmund's. They can't partake of the extraordinary fresh charcuterie, which ranks among the city's best. It's difficult to believe Henderson wasn't working with an ark's worth of animals to come up with such a broad spectrum of flavors, flattered by an array of woodsy and fruity smokes. Nor can they enjoy the quality burger, buried beneath a rich coverlet of bacon, egg and cheese that makes Edmund's signature service of Underberg (a German digestif) as thoughtful as it is trendy."  For the full  review: 

http://www.charlestonscene.com/article/20140409/CS/140409314/1027/edmunds-oast-is-having-some-serious-fun-in-the-playground-of-history

HCSA, the CIC student organization, supports the Charleston Horticultural Society's Plantasia fundraiser

 


HCSA was proud to support the Charleston Horticultural Society's fundraiser, Plantasia, with a concession tent. Called a "Green Market for Plant Lovers," Plantasia was located on Wragg Square, 342 Meeting Street, in front of Second Presbyterian Church. This allowed even more plants, vendors, and demonstrations. Plantasia featured unique, cutting-edge plants: tropicals, annuals, perennials, flowering shrubs, herbs, cold hardy palms, specialty trees and more. There also were “Member’s Favorites,” plants grown and donated by Charleston Horticultural Society members at bargain prices, as well as the “Real Yard Sale” featuring previously loved garden items such as pots, furniture and ornamental items.
http://chashortsoc.org/events-tours/plantasia-2014.html

CIC Was Proud to Support the 2014 Cooper River Bridge Run

 Kimberly McCall, Alexis Pierce, and Don Sadler

The Taste of the Bridge Run was held the evening before the race at the Maritime Center, overlooking the Charleston Harbor. CIC joined twenty-two other participants offering bites and entertainment. Thanks to Baking and Pastry Chef Instructor Kelly Wilson and team who served a runner-friendly fresh strawberry and Greek yogurt parfait topped with maple quinoa granola. 

Congratulations to our CIC Scholarship Recipients!

The Maraleius Birdsong/Domino's Pizza Scholarship: Destin B. Allen

The Arthur Brabham Memorial/GCRA Scholarship: Christopher Carreiro, Mallory F. Ellis, Juana Galvan, Jennifer A. Hursey, and Suzan D. Rhodes

The Charleston Bed and Breakfast Assoc. Scholarship: Talisa M. Pinckney

The Charleston Wine + Food Festival Scholarship: Melinda G. Brown, Ashley L. Depew, Lauren E. Kelly, Sam J. Simpson, Savannah L. Weber, and Kristen D. Workman
The Charming Inns and Circa 1886 Scholarship: Suzan J. Endicott, Kathleen M. Epperson, Eugenia F. Fields, Brittany N. Meyers, and Jeremy A. Young

The Virginia B. Gourdin Scholarship: Csilla Black and Stephen Reyes

The Senator Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship: Amanda B. Click and Terrence C. Reed
The Hospitality Education Endowed Scholarship: Luke A. Barwick, Rosalee M. Matthews, and Herbert W. Thornton

The Kiawah Island Golf Resort Culinary Scholarship: Sierra F. Brown, Jessica N. Colon, Elliott T. Cumbee, Ashley N. Isom, and Elizabeth A. Vaughn

The Limehouse Produce Company Endowed Scholarship: Dennis A. Ward

The Brett A. Maynard Memorial Endowed Scholarship: Jennifer A. Hursey

The Nicole F. Miller Memorial Scholarship: Rainee P. Hale

The Clay Phillips Memorial Scholarship: Jennifer F. Monk and Paige J. Schaffer

The Trident Technical College Foundation Scholarship: Jessica A. Gunn and Talisa M. Pinckney

Congrats to CIC Scholarship Luncheon Speaker Talisa Pinckney

Congratulations to Hospitality and Tourism student Talisa Pinckney, recipient of the Charleston Bed and Breakfast Association Scholarship, for her selection as a panelist at the 2014 Scholarship Luncheon honoring scholarship donors and recipients.

“I was raised by a single parent. I am currently a single parent of three and take care of my mother, as well,” said Talisa. “I decided one day that I was so tired of working in jobs that did not interest me or make me happy, and I wanted to improve my family life and show my children that through any adversity that education is the key to improving life circumstances. I will be the first member of my family to graduate from college. In my family, that is a milestone and a very special moment.”