June 9, 2006 - The competition began this morning at 6:00 am, 13 teams of four are given a mystery basket of products with which they will have 3 hours to prepare 16 servings for a four-course menu. We will announce the results around 4:00 pm. You can view the daily update on www.umass.edu/chefconference
Some of the team composition:
UC Berkeley (last year’s champion)
UConn
Florida Tech
Team Canada
UNH
University of Illinois
Tufts University
Bon Appetit Management Company
UMass
The rest of the 4 teams are mixed and matched. A total 25 colleges participated in the competition.
June 8, 2006 - The final day of the workshops was conducted by the chef instructors from Johnson and Wales and focused on the ACF Competition. The session was entitled “Taking the Mystery out of the Mystery Basket”.
Participants learned the tricks of plate presentations, organization and sanitation skills, and the different culinary techniques, in a hands-on environment.
Paul Fairbrook provided a talk on catering and offered some successful tips.
Chefs of 13 teams spent time on preparation for the serious but fun competition on Friday.
June 7, 2006 -
The chefs worked on the Japanese and Chinese cuisine with health in minds. They tested things from the light dishes of Canton, the spicy foods of Szechwan, to the fresh and exotic techniques of Japan. Everyone learned how to make Maki and Nigiri. The pastry workshop focused on making delicious whole grain artisan breads.
Mark Furstenberg, Founder/Owner of the Bread Line had a wonderful session on how to use whole grains in breads, crackers, cereals, salads, soups, and also main and side dishes.
Nettie Puglisi of WVU provided the nuts and bolts of the Health U program. The key to it is to provide healthy options with nutritional information to our customers, along with the regular fare.
June 6, 2006 - Marc Zammit and Dr. George Leonard talked about some harsh realities regarding the impact of human activities on the oceans, coastal ecosystems, and dependant communities. They urged operators to play a role to help improve the situation. Serving sustainable seafood and making wise seafood purchasing decisions, can make a difference.
Three workshops conducted by Johnson and Wales chef instructors were well attended. Participants tested 100 recipes and explored the culture of Turkish, and Greek cuisine.
The evening winded up at the University Club for a traditional New England Clam Bake.
June 5, 2006 - The Tastes of the World Chef Culinary Conference began on time at 8:00 am with a healthy breakfast to set the tone. 225 participants from 35 states were here. The theme of the conference aims to strike a balance between flavors and health - plus the food has to be eye appealing. Two food scientists provided data on fats and Omega 3.
Chef Pepin arrived with much fanfare. He told the audience about his life in the kitchen and exclaimed that it is a great day to be a chef.
The day culminated with a taste test conducted by John Ash.
It was an intense and exciting day for everyone!
The pre-conference workshop of 12th Annual Taste of the World Chef Culinary Conference has begun!
June 4, 2006---The pre-conference workshop on Southeast Asian Cuisine kicked off at 1:00 pm. Over 45 chefs are here with Chef Jet Tila to explore the culture and cuisine of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, China and Singapore. We are expecting 225 participants for Monday opening session.
The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, will be proud to host the
12th annual Tastes of the World Chef Culinary Conference on June 5-9,
2006. This will be our best conference yet!
Our conference theme this year takes a look at how we as culinarians/operators can continue to advance the cause of great tasting and healthier food choices for the campus food service segment. We are bringing in world renowned nutritional science researcher/author Dr. Walter Willet of Harvard University, legendary celebrity chef Jacques Pepin, master chef trainer John Ash, rising star chef Ana Sortum of Oleana Restaurant, America’s favorite vegetarian cook book author Deborah Madison, Canada’s favorite greengrocer Pete Luckett, bread master Mark Furstenberg of Bread Line, the world’s largest food management company CEO Steve Sweeney of Chartwells, plus the finest members of Johnson and Wales University, to address this imperative subject from all angles including many hands on workshop sessions and demonstrations.
This year our educational programs continue to grow – we’ve added many new programs to wow you. We will break tradition by adding a pre-conference workshop on Southeast Asian Cuisine by the popular Chef Jet Tila. We have added a Boot Camp session on the Fundamentals of Cooking and a popular 3-day Pastry workshop. Workshops will be featured on Healthy Cuisine – Mediterranean, Turkey and Greece; Asian Cuisine: Japan, Chinese and India; and Taking the Mystery out of the Mystery Basket; we will also examine Culinology and explore the award-winning design of the resident and retail dining of the University of Washington, in addition to hosting the popular and expanded ACF-sanctioned hot food team competition (12 teams this year).
Of course there will be time for fun and networking. Our planning committee has put together some incredible trips to Yankee Candle, the Basketball Hall of Fame, eclectic Northhampton restaurants and the beautiful Pioneer Valley environment (a hike on the range perhaps, for a breathtaking view of the area).
I hope you will be able to join us, I know that you will be inspired by many educational opportunities while catching up with old friends and making new ones.
I look forward to seeing you in Amherst!
Sincerely,
Ken Toong, Chair
ktoong@mail.aux.umass.edu