Fun on The Fantasy!

Seen deck side, left to right: Dean Saboe, Melissa Snyder, Karen Evans, Lucas Heath, Yvonne Mitchell, Jessica Barclay, Chef Carmel, Suzanne Walton, and Angel Hoff

CIC Dean Michael Saboe and Culinary Department Chair Michael Carmel recently accompanied a group of CIC students for an invite-only tour and luncheon on Carnival Cruise Line’s ship The Fantasy, which was docked in Charleston for passengers to check in for their cruise.(Charleston is The Fantasy's home port.) Hosted by Joanie Field, Business Development Director for Carnival Cruise Lines and Suzanne Wallace, Director of Sales for the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, the group was awed by the size of the ship and its large number of amenities. They all wished that they were setting sail instead of coming back to school!

CIC Students Assist in Le Creuset Class

Culinary Institute of Charleston students Jordan Murphy, Frances Tomlinson and Steven Pelloni recently assisted Patricia Moore-Pastides, First Lady of the University of South Carolina, as she shared healthy recipes from her books Greek Revival - Cooking for Life and Greek Revival From the Garden.  The event, hosted by Le Creuset as part of the Guest Chef Series, was held in the Le Creuset l'Atelier  facility at Ripley Point. 

CIC Alum Geoff Rhyne and His New Hot Sauce Make the News!

Congrats to CIC alum Geoff Rhyne, who was featured in the Post and Courier with his Red Clay hot sauce. Rhyne, formerly chef de cuisine at The Ordinary, is sous chef at Leon's Fine Poultry and Oyster Shop, one of Charleston's newest and most trendy restaurants. 

 
His sauce is made exclusively from Fresno peppers, salt and white wine vinegar, then aged in used sorghum whiskey barrels from High Wire Distilling Co. Enjoy the story at: Geoff Rhyne Creates Hot Sauce (Photos by Paul Zoeller.)

Congrats to CIC Alum Andy Henderson, Chef of Edmund's Oast!

Congrats to CIC alum Andy Henderson for making the Plate Magazine "30 Chefs to Watch" list!  Plate says it "recognizes these innovative chefs from around the country who are garnering the attention and respect from their colleagues for taking food further in their own kitchens. Their creativity and talent prove they are truly rising stars in the food world."

Henderson is chef at Edmund's Oast,which Plate describes as "the on-site brewery, 48 daily draught beers labeled by number, a minimalist English Tudor-style aesthetic and Southern-inspired dishes like pickled shrimp on rye, turnip custard in a white tureen and spicy beef jerky. Read more here: 30 Chefs to Watch.

CIC Alum Ulfet Ralph Wins the Chef's Challenge at the Asheville Wine and Food Festival!

Congratulations to CIC alum Ulfet Ozyabasligil Ralph for winning the Asheville Wine and Food Festival's Chef's Challenge! Ulfet, representing Charleston's Blom Supper Club, was the first woman to win this competition. 

This is "the highlight of the festival: the final competition in the annual Chefs Challenge, a cooking competition that pits regional chefs against each other in an Iron Chef-style battle," wrote the Mountain Express newspaper. "Each chef is given an hour and a secret ingredient — this year it was a whole rabbit — and expected to create a dish that will impress the panel of judges, most of whom are chefs themselves. This year the panel included James Beard favorite William Dissen of the Market Place and Susi Gott Seguret of the Seasonal School of Culinary Arts." http://mountainx.com/food/taste-of-success-regional-chefs-battle-it-out-at-chefs-challenge/

"One hour and two portable burners were all each chef had to contend with, along with a table laced with various items supplied by the French Broad Food Co-op," Seguret wrote in the Festival's official blog.  She described Ulfet's dish as "a richly infused leg perched atop a blend of apples, squash and mushrooms, more sweet than savory, with the kidneys used in the poaching liquid, and the ensemble finished off with butter, this plate was awarded especial detailed attention, with braised cherry tomatoes adding a final touch of color and another sprinkling of marigold petals contrasting in brightness with the dark velvety quality of the sauce." http://www.ashevillewineandfood.com/blog/rabbit-rabbit-rabbit-final-chefs-challenge

Ulfet is currently chef at The Culinary Vegetable Institute in Milan, Ohio. http://www.culinaryvegetableinstitute.com/

Chef, you did your school proud!