Arizona's food service news resource building a community in our community
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American Culinary Federations Student Chefs Association of Arizona
In the first quarter of last year, the ACF AZ established the ACF Student Chefs Association of Arizona which has been slow to develop. Think about it, how would you approach developing it and by it meaning, culinary students connecting outside of school with working chefs and other food service professionals? Just a little bit of a challenge.
Renewed in our commitment, the ACF AZ has a new structure for working closer with our junior culinarians and asking for our industry to help support our efforts.
Estrella Mountain Community College has established their own ACF AZ Student Group held elections and now have a President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary to help steer their groups success for the West Valley. The Art Institute and Le Cordon Bleu are developing their structure as well and with the ACF AZ Steering Committee meeting again, we are making sure our goals are achieved.
Using technology for the better good, we are able to capture pictures and videos for sharing in social media and we are all looking forward to engaging online and in person.
We will need speakers and presentations, products of interest and that reflect menu trends and our local community. We have volunteer opportunities and programs to support, resume building through contests and competitions and career opportunities through professional networking. We also have contested vendors to acknowledge for support that are interested in running contests and supporting competitions.
Working together connecting our community through food, we are creating real opportunities to stay connected. Learn more about these goals at the April 2nd meeting at the Fiesta Inn Resort from 5–7 PM and meet the ACF AZ Le Cordon Bleu Junior Team for Western Regional Conference Competition, April 12, 2013 at the Coeur d’Alene Resort, Coeur d’Alene, ID.
More to publish as this develops, if you have questions or comments please connect with Madonna Kash, Marketing and Events at Madonna@acfaz.org
Lead Like “Mike” Contest
Do you ever wonder what it takes to lead the largest organization of professional chefs in the U.S.? American Culinary Federation (ACF) students and apprentices are invited to enter the 2013 Lead Like “Mike” Contest for the chance at unparalleled access to culinary leaders and top-notch networking opportunities. One lucky student will be selected to attend the 2013 ACF National Convention in Las Vegas, July 21–25, to be mentored by ACF National President Michael Ty, CEC®, AAC®.
Five finalists will be selected for phone interviews. The winner will be announced by June 7, and will receive airfare within the continental U.S. to Las Vegas, accommodations at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, and a full convention registration. From the ACFChefs.org website.
Create one, two or even three coursed using any Minor’s Chicken or Beef Base along with one or more additional Minor’s products. Simple rules, you create it, you send it by July 1st and if you are picked as a finalist by our panel, you cook July 27th at the Arizona Culinary Institute.
1ST PRIZE $1,000 CASH
2ND PRIZE $500 CASH
3RD PRIZE $300 CASH
FOR QUESTIONS, SAMPLES, AND RECIPE ENTRIES
Minor’s
1043 S. JESSE PL.
CHANDLER, AZ, 85286
BRIAN.DRAGOS@US.NESTLE.COM
602–318-2157
http://www.nestleprofessional.com/
We have made great strides with understanding how we can support Chefs Move To Schools for Arizona and ready to take it to the next step with plans for actions for the ACF AZ. As a chapter, we have been preparing to better support these programs for some time and so our September meeting with Chef Tom French of Experience Food Project at the Tempe Elementary School District (TESD) Warehouse feels like we are not only on the right path but that we have finally reached our destination and it’s time to get busy.
With the start of a new school year and the new meal plan regulations, there are a lot of new resources available and one is “Ask Our Chef” page which is currently being developed through the Arizona Department of Education(AZED)Health and Nutrition website. Great part of this is we are also working with “the chef”, Chef Jasun Zakro, a School Nutrition Program Specialist for the AED as well.
To quote Chef Tom, “this is a marathon, not a sprint”. We realize we need to approach this gingerly. School food service is a huge segment and if you, the food service professional haven’t had the opportunity to fully understand the demands of this segment we are encouraging you to do your homework. Prepare yourself for the demands you are putting on yourself first. This is not a sprint and needs to be approached methodically with structure which may not be something you can fully commit too.
This is first and foremost. We need a solid network of people committed to moving these efforts forward as we need to ensure we are doing this right. Getting the right people on the team to move this forward in the best way we can, through culinary support.
The exciting part of this is we are all talking. Chef Tom, Chef Jasun, myself, and the association in general. Some of the biggest challenges is communication which are removing these barriers. We cannot continue to lay dormant with this any longer and we’re feeling and seeing we are able to do great work when we unite.
If you are reading this and you see you are interested in supporting our efforts, there are many ways to do that. First, find us on Facebook @arizonachefsmovetoschools @acfchefsofaz @foodservicegeeks; these are the areas where the most current information is shared. Sign up on the Chefs Move To Schools website and then stay connected with us. Attend our ACF AZ monthly meetings; we need to network, support, and engage our food service community.
This truly is a service to our country and if you are not able to activity support these efforts you can help us spread the word. Go to the ACF AZ website and sign up for our newsletter, Culinary Notes. Culinary Notes is focused on sharing food service information specifically to supporting better communication in Arizona. If you have questions or comments about our efforts and how you can get involved please connect with us and lets us know so we can work together on this one.
Madonna Kash
Marketing and Events, ACF AZ
The December meeting is now going to be held at Arizona Commercial Kitchen’s, also known as, My AZ Kitchen for a Mystery Basket Chefs Competition and the main proteins will be seafood. We’ve had to move this from our original location that was more centrally located so my apologies to those that find the distance of the meeting location an inconvenience.
As it’s our last meeting of the year and in the middle of the holidays we’re going to focus on making this a real nice event and the space is perfect this.
Looking for help with beverages and always open to food offerings for our meetings. Tables will be available for product and information sharing.
Any questions, please let us know by commenting here, through our website or via Facebook.
Thank you,
Madonna Kash
Marketing and Events, ACF AZ
October 24, 2012 was our first Chefs Move To Schools, CMTS Chefs Workshop at Tempe Elementary School District with about 20 food service professionals from all segments of food and food service. The goal was to learn more about the program, the efforts being made at the local level and national level, and to define the next step for implementation within this segment of CMTS.
Chef Tom French, Director and Chef of Experience Food Project is working with Linda Rider, Director of Food and Nutrition for Tempe Elementary School District implementing cultural changes with school food service and the 19 elementary schools within the Tempe ESD.
According to Healthy School Lunches.org, “the National School Lunch Program serves approximately 31 million lunches per day at a cost of $11.1 billion a year.” The dynamics of this interconnects us all. One of the high points of the meeting was just listening to the staff at Tempe ESD talk about their jobs, the kids, the restrictions, the distribution, interaction with families, and general overview of their roles within their organization.
A video produce by The Education Channel shows efforts being made by the staff and community with Sarasota County Schools to really make the necessary changes needed within the core of school food service. They did a fantastic job and ask that you take time to view it. Here is the QR Code for the video. For those that cannot use the code, you can search YouTube for Chefs Move To Schools and the channel is TheEdChannel20
We need ALL chefs to unite. Come together for the better good. These changes are happening daily and we have an opportunity to help support those efforts. As Chef Tom French say’s, “it’s a marathon, not a sprint. We will continue to develop awareness and encouraging everyone to really stop, look, and most importantly listen.
Working with Chef Tom French’s guidance and the support of Linda and her staff, we are really able to create a positive experience and blue print to support other school districts throughout Arizona.
Our next step as a chapter continued support of sharing school food service education. Go to the Chefs Move To Schools and register or if you have questions ask them. The ACF AZ and FoodService Geeks websites have resources and information available and as we hold monthly meetings we are talking about are Chefs Move To Schools activities monthly so it’s a great way to really connect and learn.
Personally, I have been searching for ways to bring this concept to working reality for a long time and feel we are finally there. That the 30,000 degree perspective of the program. Once you really start to dig into this, you will be amazed with the segment and these efforts. Its working and we’re moving forward and for now, we are listening and doing our homework.
In January, the Dairy Council of Arizona is bringing Chef Tom back into the market to continue to support the message and to help keep this moving forward.
Thank you
Madonna Kash
Marketing & Events, ACF AZ
The ACF AZ October meeting was held at the Community Orchard Learning Center, COLC and the first its kind for the ACF AZ and the IFT Cactus Section. The COLC is a community school and a working farm providing experiential education, resources, and partnerships to promote healthy lifestyles in South Phoenix.
Touring the property, attendees were able to see firsthand the community gardens for families, the cooperative gardens that provide food to the entire community, and provide a source of income for their participating members.
Hey Joe Filipino Food Truck, the No Roach, Roach Coach was in attendance as well serving Filipino Street Food such as Chicken Adobo, Lechon Kawali, and Pancit. Brian and Margita are a husband and wife team that met in Phoenix, married in the Philippines and then brought their favorite authentic dishes to the streets of Phoenix. Great feedback about the flavor and food and for the meeting, it was a great way for us to host our meeting at that location.
As its harvest time, we also held a Pie Contest for the bragging rights of the “Big Piezono” and ACF Chef Mark Ferguson was the winner with his apple pie. Congratulations to Chef Mark and a thank you to all that entered the contest; more of these to follow.
We also sold pies donated from Rock Springs Café with the proceeds going back to the COLC. Thank you for the support Rock Springs! Also a note of thank you to Chef Nancy Schmitt representing Sara Lee Pies as well for her help and support with pie donations as well. Thank you both for your support.
The Aquaponics system under the direction of Dr. George Brooks is another high point of the meeting as well. Marking great strides with education, communities, and Aquaponics, Dr. Brooks has become a tremendous for our association and community.
Meeting like this really show case activities happening within our community tying in education and food. This ties in with our Chefs Move To Schools activities as when it comes to gardening and after you learn more about the value of Aquaponics you’ll seeing the value in education with this as well. Better quality of food with a higher nutrient density that grows faster using less water the for education is STEM(M) education; Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine.
In our growing region, it’s especially fascinating and bountiful. Dr. Brooks is testing product verities, yields, and growth so the teaching system is really educating us all on how we can grow more, grow better, for less, and for some, away to sublimit food costs.
I would like to note a special thank you to the teachers that brought students to the meeting as well. Thank you and thank you to all for their attendance.
Madonna Kash
Marketing and Events, ACF AZ
One of the most challenging food service questions to answer is understanding what a food broker does. They sell food yet they don’t take orders. They prepare food yet they don’t produce it.
They show, sample, sell, and troubleshoot product. They manage distribution issues and intercept local opportunities. They negotiate pricing and programs, equipment and consulting, work with and train sales representatives, so many other moving parts in the busy world of distribution.
A food broker represents a network and hub for food service distribution. A good analogy is a food broker is like a pro football team. One from each state, the sponsors of those teams are like manufacturers that are supporters and spectators, the goal is to win the food service game by opening, growing, and maintaining the market.
“What is a Food Broker?” ACF AZ November 5, 2012 5–7 PM
Ever wonder what does a food broker actually does? A key piece of food service yet a confusing segment as well. For chefs and food service professionals it’s also a strong career option. If you’re a chef looking to expand your career options, this is a great opportunity to take a closer look at this segment.
For operators it’s also a great opportunity to learn how to better work with industry. Brokers bring many resources to the table and from previous experience; brokers love customers that like them.
Chef Nancy Schmitt of Advantage Waypoint has put together a chef competition with cash prizes for participation from High Liner Food, Nestle Professional, Sara Lee, and Simplot. We need 5 chefs to compete with 1st Place is $100, 2nd Place is $50 and 3rd Place is $25.00.
For Chefs Move To Schools education, learn more about how a broker school specialist works with school food service as well. You’ll learn more about commodity products and how that works and why they call Bid Season a season.
Madonna
FoodService Geeks
The Grand Opening of Arizona Commercial Kitchen’s was November 1, 2012 and developing food service based classes for the food service professional. Restaurant Marketing Partners, RMP is offering Food Allergy and Food Intolerance Training’s, Food Service Professional Skills Development, Food Safety, Geeks Courses on butter, dough’s and with more under development.
Arizona Commercial Kitchens is the first co-working space for foodies in Arizona. More than a shared use kitchen, we are a home for the food community. Arizona Commercial Kitchens is a space where local food producers can start their businesses with the support of others in the food community.
For the ACF AZ, this is a perfect way for us to do fundraising for equipment for community outreach and to bring more value to your ACF AZ Membership. With the ACF AZ Members Advantage program, will receive discounted pricing a donation to the ACF AZ will be made with every class and event through RMP.
FoodService Geeks is also expanding and Geek Courses will be courses offered by subject matter experts within our food service community.
