Chef Bob Waggoner Shows Farm to Plate Class Wild American Shrimp

Thanks to Wild American Shrimp Executive Director Eddie Gordon and Chef Bob Waggoner, the Farm to Plate class had a hands-on experience with right-off-the-boat Wild American Shrimp. (Note the "whiskers" on the shrimp in the first and second pictures, the true tell.)


Chef Waggoner prepared one of his Charleston Grill specials, Zucchini Blossoms Stuffed with Carolina Shrimp Mousse (see recipe on the side feature of our Blog: What We're Eating). A board member of the prestigious Chef's Garden in Huron, Ohio, where he sources his squash blossoms, Chef Waggoner was kind enough to bring enough for the students to make two stuffed blossoms each. A real treat!

FARM TO PLATE FIELD TRIP TO KENSINGTON PLANTATION FEATURED IN POST & COURIER

In a September 24th article titled "Going for Gold," Post & Courier Food Editor Teresa Taylor writes:"Last week, [Richard] Stoney, whose family owns Kensington, and [Batt] Humphreys, a longtime friend and business associate, shared their tale and their table with students at the Culinary Institute of Charleston. A dozen or so class members and faculty visited Kensington in Berkeley County as part of the school's new "Farm to the Plate" course.

"Stoney also is an attorney and owner of Crew Carolina, a restaurant and catering group that includes Carolina's and the Boathouse restaurants. Humphreys is its communications director.
They and Carolina's chef Jeremiah Bacon served as hosts and educators for the excursion that took students into the rice fields and then to a plantation lunch under live oaks. Bacon rewarded them with a sumptuous platter of chicken and okra pilaf, or "perlo" in Charlestonese, made with fresh, handpicked rice."

See the full story, complete with color pictures, at: http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/sep/24/going_goldprospects_look_good_carolina_r55495/

FARM TO PLATE CLASS EXPLORES HISTORIC CAROLINA GOLD RICE

On Tuesday, September 16th, the Farm to Plate class has a one-of-a-kind field trip to Kensington Plantation to see authentic Carolina Gold Rice grown again where it had been grown as long as three hundred years ago. It was a historic moment when the class was served a chicken pilau made from Kensington's rice. Chef Jeremiah Bacon, of Carolina's Restaurant, did the honors, and subsequently came to the Palmer Campus to lead the class in cooking an array of dishes made with Anson Mills' Carolina Gold Rice and corn.

CIC Adjunct Instructor M. Kelly Wilson Featured in Charleston Magazine

One of CIC's Baking and Pastry Adjunct Instructors was featured in the September issue of Charleston Magazine in a story titled "Sweeten the Deal: Pastry Chef M. Kelly Wilson makes haute desserts easy with recipe and tips for the home cook."

"Now head pastry chef at the prestigeous Cypress restaurant, industry committee chair for the Food and Wine Festival's Bubbles and Sweets event, and a second-year adjunct instructor at The Culinary Institute of Charleston, Wilson has a tall toque of professional credits. Over the past three years, she's also become a popular teacher of continuing education baking classes at both USC's Culinary and Wine Institute certificate program and The Culinary Institute. There, she educates nonprofessionals in the art of making restaurant-worthy desserts that are doable in the home kitchen."

Showcased in the story are Chef Wilson's Limoncello Cheesecake with Pinenut and Lavendar Shortbread Crumbles, Apricot Beignets with Rosemary-Infused Honey and Rosemary-and-Sea Salt-Candied Marcona Almonds, Milk Chocolate Mousse Lollipops, and an assortment of mignardises.

Photos by Roo Way

CHEF SEAN BROCK OF McCRADY'S LEADS FARM TO PLATE CLASS

Following a field trip to Wadmalaw Island to Chef Brock's farm, the Farm to Plate class enjoyed a great day with Chefs Brock and Carmel in one of the CIC Palmer Campus kitchens!

NEW CIC FARM TO PLATE COURSE AT PALMER CAMPUS

To get ready for one of CIC's new Advanced Certificate courses, we've been reading the latest book by renowned English champion of in animal welfare and sustainability, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. In "The River Cottage Cookbook," he writes, "“Overall, I will be encouraging you to be less dependent on industrially produced food; to support local small-scale producers of quality meat, fruit, and veggies; to support farmers’ markets and other local food initiatives; to deal directly with farmers and growers. I will go on to suggest how you might produce some food of your own, both meat and vegetables.”

Over the next eight weeks, some of Charleston's leaders in this movement have volunteered their time to come to CIC's new Palmer Campus facility and work hands-on with the new Farm to Plate class. See the highlights below.

Field Trip to Farm of Chef Sean Brock of McCrady's
Chef Brock cooks his vegetables with the class

Marc Filion of Keegan-Filion Farms speaks to the class
Chef Frank Lee of Slightly North of Broad cooks Keegan-Filion chicken with the class

Field Trip to Kensington Plantation to see Carolina Gold Rice in field
Chef Jeremiah Bacon of Carolina's cooks a variety of rice and corn from Anson Mills with the class

Eddie Gordon, Executive Director of Wild American Shrimp, speaks to the class
Chef Bob Waggoner of Charleston Grill cooks Wild American Shrimp with the class

Field trip to Aquarium for Sustainable Seafood Lecture
Sustainable fish cookery for the class

Emile de Felice of Caw Caw Creek Farms brings whole pastured pig and speaks to the class
Chef Mike Lata of FIG cooks Caw Caw pork with the class

Project: COOK LOCAL FOR A DAY

CHEF CARMEL'S CUTTING STYLE

An August 6th Post and Courier article titled "Face It, Most of Us Need Basic Instruction When It Comes to Using Kitchen Knives" by Food Editor Teresa Taylor featured Culinary Department Head Chef Michael Carmel demonstrating the art of the knife.

"One afternoon last week, Carmel, department head for culinary arts at the school, agreed to share his know-how and show the way to better slicing, dicing and chopping by mastering essential skills," writes Taylor. "He also proved that a few key, good quality knives will do most, if not all, jobs nicely."

For the whole story, see: http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/aug/06/pointers49843/

For video demonstrations, see:

http://charleston.net/videos/2008/aug/06/523/

http://charleston.net/videos/2008/aug/06/521/

http://charleston.net/videos/2008/aug/06/519/

Retail Bakeshop Projects Rock!

On July 31st, Chef Vagasky's Retail Bakeshop class invited the campus into to see and sample their final projects. A delicious time was had by all!

CIC Chefs Council Member Bob Carter Stars in "Throwdown with Bobby Flay"

OnTuesday, July 1st., CIC Chefs Council Member and Peninsula Grill Executive Chef Robert Carter and the restaurant's famed "Ultimate Coconut Cake" kicked off the fifth season of "Throwdown With Bobby Flay" on the Food Network.
According to The Post and Courier, "The premise of the show is to identify culinary masters and challenge them on their home turf. In this case, the Food Network and Flay sought out Carter in Charleston under the guise of filming a profile. What Carter didn't know was that Flay was planning to challenge him to an unexpected coconut cake cook-off.
Carter says being on the show was a 'surreal' experience. 'I woke up that morning thinking I'd be able to do my thing in the comfort of my own kitchen. The next thing I know, Bobby Flay is walking in with another camera crew challenging me to a cooking duel. It was awesome!'"
The Post and Courier Wednesday, June 25, 2008
In case you have not had the pleasure of enjoying Chef Carter's famous Ultimate Coconut Cake, it is 4" tall and 10" in diameter, serves 16, and weighs approximately 12 lbs. The show-stopping Ultimate Coconut Cake is nationally famous and is ordered by foodies and celebrities around the country for the price of $100.00 per cake + Fed. Ex. shipping costs!

Chef Black Brings in 62 # 10 oz. of Gold

Those who know Chef Ben Black from the classroom at CIC may not be aware of his prowess on the high seas. Not only is Chef Black a member of the U. S. Coast Guard Reserves, he is also an accomplished fisherman - witness this 62-pound 10-ounce golden dolphin he recently reeled in offshore Charleston.

AND THE WINNER IS......

KELLY NEWMAN WINS THE DOOR PRIZE AT TODAY'S HCSA MEETING! ARE WE LOOKING AT THE NEXT "TOP CHEF?"

CIC Student Meri Spalviero Featured in the Post and Courier

In her June 4th story for the Charleston Post and Courier newspaper, "Save on Groceries by Using What you Have," cookbook author and television personality Nathalie Dupree included recipes by her newest intern, CIC student Meri Spalviero.

"A new apprentice, Meri Spalviero, winner of Trident Tech's Culinary Institute's Nathalie Dupree scholarship, started working with me last week, eager to try something new. We had planned to go in a different direction, but one thing led to another, mainly the need to use up what we already had on hand," writes Ms. Dupree.

"The refrigerator was laden, as was the fruit and vegetable bowl that sits on my kitchen counter. Everything was getting over-ripe. The next day, Meri showed up with all her vegetables and fruits that were going bad, inspired by my attempt to staunch the waste of my food. So our efforts became a story of saving money and using up what you have before you head for the store."

Meri's Caramelized Pineapple Curd with Fresh Cherries
Makes 3 cups

For the caramelized pineapple:
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons brown sugar
10 slices pineapple, sliced 1/4-inch-thick
For the curd:
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups caramelized pineapple puree

For the pineapple: Melt the butter and brown sugar over medium-high heat in a large skillet or saute pan. Add the pineapple slices on top of the butter/brown sugar mixture, in batches if necessary; don't overlap. (Note: If doing two batches, start with half the butter and brown sugar.) Cook pineapple slices, turning occasionally, until they develop a light brown color. Once all the slices have been caramelized, puree in the blender with any juices that are left in the pan. Reserve 2 cups for the curd. (Any leftover pureed pineapple is delicious over ice cream.)
For the curd: Heat the butter, sugar, eggs and caramelized pineapple puree in a heavy saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring frequently. Don't let the mixture boil; it's a curd, not a curdle. Continue cooking for 10-15 minutes until the mixture has thickened, then cool. Serve with fresh cherries or any leftover fruit, cake, ice cream or whatever you have on hand. May be kept covered in the refrigerator several days, or frozen.

Meri's Corn and Tomato Sweet and Spicy Salad
Serves 2-4
2 ears fresh corn, for about 2 cups
1 pint cherry tomatoes, preferably heirlooms
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce; Mae Ploy brand preferred
1 tablespoon cilantro, thyme or other fresh herb, chopped
Salt to taste

Hold the ear of corn vertically in a glass pie plate and carefully slice down with a paring knife to remove the fresh corn off the cob. Quarter the tomatoes, and toss them in the bowl with the corn. Add the chili sauce, cilantro or other herb, and salt to taste. Stir together and leave out at room temperature to let all the flavors blend. Can be served at room temperature or chilled.

For the full story, see: http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/jun/04/save_on_groceries_by_using_what_you_have43232/

CIC STUDENT ASSOCIATION (HCSA) WINS TOP AWARDS

Two TTC employees were recognized at the annual Awards Day ceremony held May 2 in the Main Campus Student Center. Each serves as an advisor to a TTC student organization and was nominated by their student members for the honor of Outstanding Student Organization Advisor. CIC Dean Michael Saboe, advisor for the Hospitality and Culinary Student Association, won first place as Outstanding Student Organization Advisor. Randy Grimes, advisor for the Society of Broadcasters, was runner-up.

For the Outstanding Student Organization awards, the Hospitality and Culinary Student Association (advisors Dean Michael Saboe, the late Chef William Stacks, Chef David Vagasky and Hospitality Instructor Paul Teehan) won first place. Pictured above are advisors Dean Saboe and Chef Vagasky, and CIC students Rebekah Brasfield, Othel Plowden, Gayle Rawlins, and Renata Dos Santos.

CHEFS MORGAN AND ALEXANDER COLLABORATE!

Chefs Morgan and Alexander joined forces to produce pizzas! The combo of Chef Morgan's fresh mozzarella and Chef Alexander's fresh dough is hard to beat!
Photos provided by CIC student Jennifer Wallis.

CIC IRON CHEF

Two of Charleston's hottest chefs fired up the stoves at the CIC recently for an Iron Chef comptetion. On the left and right: Chef Mike Lata of FIG and Chef Ken Vedrinski of Sienna, with CIC Culinary Department Head Michael Carmel and CIC Chef Instructor Miles Huff. The event was won at TTC's Night in the Valley fundraising auction. Each chef led a team of Charleston's hospitality industry luminaries in producing an array of winning dishes!