CIC Alum Ulfet Ralph Gets Props

CIC Alum Ulfet Ralph, chef at The Lodge at Little St. Simons Island, was pictured in Charleston Magazine's story on the island.  
"That night it’s a dinner party at the lodge. Fresh blue crabs, cleaned, steamed, and split, are piled high on a platter for guests before dinner. The crabs were caught that afternoon in the creek we traversed earlier. (The tradition is that if guests catch something, the chef will prepare it that night.) I’m not sure who lured these crustaceans in, but they’re sweet, briny, and delicious.

"We all sit at long tables of our choice in two rooms. The mood is friendly: everyone’s relaxed, and some are sun-kissed from the day. Among the people at our table are four women from Atlanta on a girls’ getaway. The wine is flowing, the conversation humming, and we’re served a bountiful dinner of spring lamb, pea tendrils and blooms, and salad greens grown in the lodge’s garden. The chef, Ülfet Özyabasligil Ralph, introduces herself and tells us she’s excited to hear that we are visiting from Charleston. She previously worked in kitchens with chefs Robert Carter and Jacques Larson and says she was tremendously inspired by them and by the city itself."

Chef Kevin Mitchell Receives Fellowship

Congratulations to CIC Chef Instructor Kevin Mitchell, who was selected to be a Southern Foodways Alliance Nathalie Dupree Fellow.

Here's what the SFA announcement said: "Kevin Mitchell is a Graduate Assistant pursing a M.A. in Southern Studies at the University of Mississippi. He holds an A.O.S in Culinary Arts and a B.P.S in Culinary Arts Management from the Culinary Institute of America and considers home to be Charleston, South Carolina.

"With a background in food, he is very involved in the study of foodways, the preservation of southern ingredients, the history of African American chefs and food justice with the Slow Food movement. He is delighted to be a part of SFA and looking forward to sharing his culinary prowess with his fellow graduate students."