The BC Chefs Table Society met for the last summer meeting Monday afternoon at the beautiful open dining room of NU Restaurant.  It was the best turnout we’ve had to date.  It was also a very fruitful meeting, lots on the agenda, with two guest speakers, and many pending issues to resolve for the summer.  But, this being a table of successful chefs, we accomplished the full agenda in a very short period of time – getting things done in limited time is one of our prime professional survival traits.  Plus, many crafty ideas were proposed and basically finalized that puts the society in very good standing indeed for the fall and down the road.  This society began with nothing, yet we walked away realizing much has been built and more is to come.  That’s another instinctual talent of ours:  give chefs little and we’ll turn it into a feast.

I cannot help but be impressed when I see a group of put-your-head-down practical chefs in one room.  Besides the brain power, there’s an intense energy to focus on information in its most boiled down practical terms. When our guest from the Pacific Prawn Fisherman’s Association spoke about their continuing relationship with the Society to inform and connect the consumer about our coastal fish, these chefs not only demonstrated a genuine interest to be a conduit for excellent, accurate, and vital information, they articulated their well-informed opinions most impressively.  Words like “commitment” and “mindset” were carefully chosen to represent the Society’s care for the products that sustain their profession.

For a person who started as an academic and entered the culinary profession with apprehension, I can now confidently say that cooks and chefs are indeed smart minds.  They’re smarter than 20 years ago.  They have to be.  Their “mindset” has shifted in a positive way, especially when it comes to ingredients. 

Yet when it comes to the next generation of cooks, our mindset has not changed much.  The one word I wish one day I will never have to hear is “kids” when referring to culinary students.  All - and I mean all – of the industry, from chefs to media, still refer to my students as kids.  When I’m asked “How are the kids doing?” I never know if they are referring to my sons or my students.    I’ve always seen the word to spell bad news.  As a parent of 18 and 21 year old young men, calling them kids would spell disaster.  Not only would they not talk to me, but, much worse, they’ll never leave home.  It’s simply counter-productive.  The average age of students entering culinary schools these days is 24 years of age.  Perhaps today’s chefs are unaware of this. 

I’ve been wanting to bring the “kids” thing up for some time now with my colleagues, but I really do not think the industry is yet ready for a new “mindset” when it comes to culinary students.  I know for sure it will change one day.  Fish was just fish a couple of decades ago, and now it’s a socio-political topic demanding mature dialogue and sophisticated terms like “sustainability”, “eco-management”, “endangered”, and so on.  It will make me happy, most happy I must say, when the day comes that my NWCAV students are referred to as adults, as fine men and women.  It will perhaps ensure that they are treated like adults, and the payoff might well be they will work like adults.  This field needs fine young men and women, not kids.  I wouldn’t want a generation of “kids” taking over for the fine work adults have already done. 

Trying to eliminate the “K” word,

Tony Minichiello

Instructor to adults

The most difficult, challenging topic for me to teach is pasta.  Getting students to understand the essence of pasta is extremely difficult because most, the vast majority, have been lead astray.  Getting students to get off the dry vs fresh track is nearly impossible, taking much effort, a Joe Pesci attitude, and time.  Eventually the students get to experience authentic pasta and are forever changed when it comes to that particular food.

But I’m looking forward – very soon, in fact – to the day when I can simply direct the students to some homework, and not just reading, but video.  Not just any video, but a well crafted script, with detailed and meticulously shot techniques, all logically and wisely editing, all detailing the essence of pasta, where it comes from, how it’s made, how to dissect quality, how to make it at home, cook it properly, what to do, what not to do, why, what happens when you make a mistake, how to prevent it, fix it, etc.

The module on pasta filmed in the kitchen studio at Rouxbe took a whole week, with hours of narrowing down the writing to its essence, shooting the key critical points with the best angle, cleverly, creatively, and then hours of editing and in the sound room.  By the end, every one of the Rouxbe team, from camera, to sound people, to editors, were pros at pasta, elevated to an Italian understanding of pasta…FOREVER.

Though it still took the physical experience to be convinced of this, the video does my job in 20 minutes, rather than hours.  Video, if well scripted and performed, is the tool of the future for any culinary learner.  Watch for the Rouxbe culinary school. (http://blog.rouxbe.com/rouxbe-cooking-school-sneak-peek/) It will change the way you cook and eat.  Period!  

Tony

We are pleased to welcome back into our kitchens Jeff Van Geest, Owner & Chef of the award winning Aurora Bistro!

Chef Jeff will present to the Foodies a locally inspired menu featuring the best of BC’s bounty, including a selection of delicious BC wines. 

As always, our classes are hands-on, so you will not only benefit from Chef Jeff’s extensive culinary experience, you will also have the opportunity to prepare & savour these dishes:

• Spot prawns on asparagus wrapped in Oyama’s proscuitto with ginger sabayon
• Roasted Polderside Farm duck breast with rhubarb compote & aged cheddar-potato perogies
• Agassiz hazelnut tart with maple creme fraiche

I know, my mouth is watering too!

There are only a few spots left, so book your seat now! 

Time:  Wednesday, June 11, 2008 - 6:15pm - 9:30pm 

Register:  You can register by phone 604.876.7653 with Visa or MasterCard, or in person with cash, local cheque or debit. 

Cost:  $98 + GST

Please bring:  Chef’s knife, paring knife, 2 tea towels, a pen, closed-toe/flat-heeled shoes & an elastic to tie back long hair if you have it.

Note: Menu subject to change at chef’s discretion.

As the days get longer, our thoughts drift to Spring and warmer evenings spent around the BBQ with friends and family.  To give you some new inspiration in that department, we are very pleased to offer two BBQ classes hosted by Brian Misko of the award winning House of Q. You may have seen Brian and his partner Glenn Erho on Global TV BC providing the BBQ Tip of the Week.  House of Q has also recently launched its own line of award winning bbq sauces & rubs.  Here’s the scoop on the classes:

May 3, 2008

• pulled pork
• cedar plank fish
• planked cheese with chutney
• cheese stuffed jalapenos
• grilled asparagus with lime & olive oil
• grilled fruit

June 7, 2008

• braised short ribs
• flank steak
• quesadillas
• grilled corn & cilantro salad
• spicy yam fries
• grilled tomato salsa

times: classes will run each day from 11:00am - 2:30pm

cost: $98 each day, plus GST

register: by calling 604.876.7653  - payment is due at the time of registration

please bring: your NWCAV apron if you have one, chef’s knife, paring knife, 2 hand/tea towels

Menus subject to change based upon Chef’s discretion.

Chef Ian Lai, instructor for our Professional Culinary program, has been receiving a lot of press lately.  As founder of the Terra Nova Schoolyard Society (http://myterranova.ca/), Chef Ian is very active in the Richmond community teaching young people from K-12 about the joys of organic farming, and connecting them to the earth & their food.  At the farm they grow everything from flowers to oats, and the students participate in the entire life cycle from planting to harvest.  They even learn how to prepare the food they grow, including winnowing & milling the grains to make their own bread.  The benefits of the project don’t stop there because the bounty produced at Terra Nova is donated to the Richmond Food Bank.  Visit the Terra Nova website for more information.

On May 8th Chef Ian was recognized for his tireless dedication with  a much deserved U-Roc Award.  Congratulations!

In other news, he has agreed to act as the new resident “Chef in the Market” at the Steveston Farmers & Artisans Market for 10 Sundays this summer.  Check out this article by Arlene Kroeker:

http://www.bclocalnews.com/richmond_southdelta/richmondreview/entertainment/18744499.html

We are proud & honoured to have Chef Ian as part of our NWCAV family.

Kudos!

As many of you know, NWCAV is proud to support the Terra Nova Schoolyard Society farm project in Richmond, BC (www.myterranova.ca). Terra Nova was founded & is headed by Chef Ian Lai, one of the Professional Culinary instructors at the Academy.

Chef Ian is pleased to announce that Terra Nova now has it’s own custom tea blend, provided by renowned tea merchants “T”. It is an enlivening blend of Organic Rooibos with citrus notes of orange & lemon. The price is $15 per tin (yields 50 cups). All proceeds go toward the Terra Nova Schoolyard Project. I have tried this tea, and like it so much I ordered 6 boxes for myself & to give as gifts!

If you would like to order some of this delicious tea for yourself, please contact Ian at info@myterrnova.ca or 604-767-9264, or call the Academy at 604.876.7653. Payment by cash only at time of pickup.

Enjoy,

Marla (tea aficionado)

When asked if any of my students are superstars, I smile, bite my tongue, and pray that this might be the last time I have to answer such a stupid question.  Our obsession to over-dramatize the status of chefs and equate them to rock stars, celebrities, or superstars is as naive as our obsession to over-dramatize the food experience as “to die for” or “better than sex”. 

Now if the question posed was which student would I recommend most highly to an industry colleague, the answer would be simple:  the quiet, reliable, hardest working, and committed team player who does the little things no one else sees, does it with pride, with care, day in and day out. The cocky, wavy-haired, good looking, charismatic flash in the pan cooks make better mixologists.  The Gehrigs and Ripkens of the world make great cooks - and much in need these days.

In general, when it comes to describing great food and chefs, we’re simply too loud, if not obnoxious.  Fernand point once said “food…now that’s worth talking about.”  If we’re moving towards a trend of keeping things simple and mature, our language needs to follow suit. It’s only to die for, or better than sex, when you ain’t got any.

Tony Minichiello

Culinary Instructor

My old culinary school in Montreal, ITHQ, had an amazing library, especially their archives.  I was particularly blown away by Careme’s books, the insane details of his recipes (if not ostentatious) and particularly his drawings.  Careme is still considered one of the greatest chefs ever, definitely a (if not the first) “superstar”, “celebrity” chef of his era, perhaps the Mozart of French cuisine.  Though impressed at the time - and still - by his fascinating career and body of work, what truly fascinates me now is how he got there.

Careme was the most accomplished pastry chef in all of Paris and the most sought after chef in all of Europe by the age of 20, a testament of his mere talent.  But as an educator, I think it’s a testament of his will, his drive, specifically his will and drive to learn.  We know Careme was a disciplined note-taker, which he’d revise before going to bed.  We also know he was a voracious researcher, hitting the books at the nearby library after work for ideas, facts, inspiration. 

In essence, Careme was the ultimate student of his craft.  Naturally he learned from others, but I think he had the gift to teach himself, to intellectually elevate his game.  So it’s the 16, 17, 18 year old Careme that fascinates me, the one that took hold of his learning. To all students out there, have your pen and pad ready at all times. I still do. 

Tony Minichiello,  Culinary Learner�

There’s this perception out there that people go into the cooking field for the love of it, solely for the love of it, simply for the passion, not the money.  How naive to even think that people are willing to sacrifice their personal life - willingly, I may add -  in order for others to gain financially. This super-human species of cooks do not exist.   What does exist is a status quo, an unjust axiom that states that cooks must sacrifice like no other profession because that’s the way it is, it’s always been. Who’s benefited from this?  The restaurateur and the customer, and not the profession.

Wages are going up, but not because we suddenly feel for our cooks, but because demand for staff, especially qualified staff, is high and getting more desperate.  The industry needs bodies - it’s supply and demand.

Right now the hot topics are sustainability and local ingredients.  That’s very admirable.  So Chilean sea bass, wild coho get a lot of attention these days - a good thing.  But what about the cooks, the ones that cook 95% of customers’ meals (it’s primarily cooks, not chefs, that cook our meals)?  At the moment we’re not - as an industry, as a culture, as a local public, and definitely as a media - doing much to sustain their survival in their profession.  Attracting intelligent, ambitious, hard-working people into this field is becoming more difficult (sorry Food Network, you’re no longer helping). Won’t be long before we’ll have to import our cooks. 

I like fish, but I like people more, and love cooks most. Is the food business, like big corporate business, in denial?  Will it take as long as the global warming issue for everyone, including public and media, to get real about making the necessary paradigm shift?  I hope not. 

 Tony Minichiello,  Culinary Instructor

Today we started day 2 of the new class talking about knives.  I’ve changed it up in the last couple of terms from the past, ever since I saw Alton Brown’s Youtube video on how to sharpen a knife.  He states, emphatically, never, ever to sharpen your own knife, that even professionals don’t.  Well, last term we decided to take an opposite approach and emphatically convicned our students that you are not a true professional, a true craftsman until you’ve sharpened your knife to a razor’s edge with your own hands on a stone.  If the Japanese and European chefs can do this, why can’t we.

The results proved quite successful.  We had the best class I’ve ever taught produce professional standard cuts - at least at the industry starting level.  This term I am focused on improving the results even further, and I am convicned that the sooner I get all of the students to properly and professionally sharpen their knife with their own hands, the sooner that pride will empower them to do magic with their most important tool.

I hope craftsmanship comes back with a vengeance in our field, as it has slipped in favour of style and glory.  One thing I do know, the good ones that survive, that remain, that keep doing it with passion and commitment, know their craft and know how to get better.

Tony Minichiello, Culinary Instructor

In my opinion, chocolate should be considered its own food group! 

In order to satisfy your cocoa cravings, Chef Tim will be presenting a 2-day Introduction to Chocolate series.

We will be doing a chocolate tasting (did you know chocolate is as complex as wine?), and learning to properly temper chocolate to give it that beautiful sheen .  We’ll make. . . and you can take home

• Chocolate truffles
• Bon Bons
• Ganache and other fillings
• Enrobed chocolates
• Molded chocolates

Time: April 26 & 27.  From 9:00am - 3:00pm

Cost: $320 + GST

Register: Call 604.876.7653.  Payment is due with registration, and can be made by phone with a Visa or MasterCard.

Please Bring: Chef’s knife, pastry/bench scraper, 2 tea towels, silpat (1/2 sheet size), small electric heating pad & a container transport your goodies!

Note: Menu subject to change at chef’s discretion.

This term, more than any, I was privy to more details of every individual student.  I have always had an interest in the life of all my students for the simple reason that I connect to their very choice of work.  I am a believer that it takes a certain person – “good people”, as I like to call them-  to want to cook as their métier. Reflecting upon this, I am certain the reason is very simply the fact wannabe cooks believe it’s best to do something with all the passion and love one possesses. 

I’d like to share my view of these very fine people, for somehow they are not given the appropriate respect and attention they deserve.  Firstly, they are committed and , likewise, very passionate people.  They work hard, knowing even harder work and challenging wages await them.  Though many of my industry colleagues refer to them as “kids” (which I protest and correct them immediately), they are in fact some of the most mature people I know.  They are civilized, caring, thoughtful, team players, and honest -  literally salt of the earth.    

Graduation is an uneasy feeling for me.  I know these fine people must learn to persevere, take good care of themselves, be strong, organize their priorities, and basically survive the first 2-3 years.  The industry sometimes will take good care of them, and sometimes it will try to take advantage – too many businesses survive this way.  My hope is that one day cooks – the 99% of the people who prep and cook your food when you dine out, not the chefs – are treated by media and the general public with the respect they so deserve.  Long ago I entered this industry disillusioned, but fortunate to find myself with some really good people to keep me going.  I still feel our industry has a hell of a long way to go, and hope lies in the fact that each term I know there are very fine people going into the field with the vision, guts, and integrity to create change.  These students fuel my passion, my work, my métier.  Thank you.

Forever loyal,

Tony Minichiello