Chef Report

Cameron Cuisinier’s dreams of a catering career led him to culinary school. Now he’s unemployed and $43,000 in debt, and he’s not alone.

From TV chefs to reality shows where the winners get their own restaurants, it’s a hot time to be in the kitchen. Record numbers of would-be chefs are enrolling in culinary schools, some of which charge $20,000 a year or more. But the restaurant business has always been a tough way to make a living, and many graduates find themselves saddled with debt and working long hours at low-paying, entry-level jobs.

“When they’re trying to get you enrolled in these programs, they tell you you’re going to come out making top dollar,” said Cuisinier, a recent graduate of the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. “I’ve just been way disappointed.”

Industry observers say celebrity chefs like Rachael Ray and Emeril Lagasse — with his trademark exclamation, “Bam!” — helped launch the craze. The rising popularity of cable TV’s The Food Network and reality shows like “Top Chef” and “Hell’s Kitchen” are fueling it.

“It looks really fun on TV,” said Tim Ryan, president of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., one of the country’s premier training grounds for chefs. “You’ve got an audience adoring you. You say, ‘Bam!’ and throw some stuff on a plate and everyone goes nuts.

“That’s not what happens,” he said. “The work is long and hard. There’s a lot of pressure.”

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Cameron Cuisiner poses for a photo at home in Monterey, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006. Cuisinier is $43,000 in debt. And it wasn’t a fancy car or credit cards that got the 24-year-old there, it was dreams of a catering career. Cuisiner spent the money on culinary school. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

In the video game, Cooking Mama, the player learns how to cook various meals using the Nintendo DS’s touch screen to interact with the ingredients. This gameplay structure, with the player completing a series of short mini-games, is similar to the WarioWare series. Following the instructions of the titular “Mama”, the player uses the stylus to chop vegetables, slice meat, flip food in pans and arrange the final items on the plate. The game features over 76 dishes to complete.

Official Website

NEW YORK — “Sam Stern has been a passionate cook for as long as he can remember. This is his first cookbook. It’s brilliant.”

That succinct review on the inside jacket of “Cooking up a Storm” is accurate, if somewhat immodest, for it was penned by none other than Sam Stern.

That it comes off as mischievous rather than arrogant is a tribute to the talents of this spiky-haired 15-year-old from England, whose self-styled “teen survival cookbook” is captivating multiple generations of readers on both sides of the Atlantic.

With its bright print, ample photographs, easy-to-follow directions and versatile menus, the book (Candlewick Press, $16.95) is the perfect gift for a college student. The recipes range from homey (pancakes) to exotic (Thai green curry), with plenty of vegetarian options. A front cover featuring an author as handsome as your dream prom date is a definite plus.

But what sets “Cooking Up a Storm” apart from other beginners’ cookbooks is its tone: blunt, humorous, enthusiastic and unmistakably adolescent. more…

PlayFirst has announced the release of a Mac version of SpongeBob SquarePants Diner Dash — a version of the popular casual game that has you waiting tables at the Krusty Krab using Nickelodeon’s lovable cartoon hero SpongeBob SquarePants. It costs $19.95, and a demo version is available.

SpongeBob SquarePants Diner Dash puts you in control of SpongeBob as you help Mr. Krabs expand his Krabby Patty kingdom one restaurant at a time. You wait tables and make sure customers are helped in a timely fashion. Do it successfully and you’ll make money, enabling Mr. Krabs to expand his offerings and open new locations. more…

… THR: You’re at the top of your game now, but were there times when you couldn’t get roles?
Raven: I’ve been rejected far more than I’ve been accepted, let’s put it that way. After “Doctor Doolittle” I came out here with my dad to meet with casting agents, and we really started wondering whether we were wasting our time and money. Then I got “Absolutely Psychic” (the original title for “Raven”) and everything changed. But my parents raised me to believe that if I didn’t get a job, it was because it wasn’t the right part for me, not because I was inadequate. They also taught me to have more than one dream, so if one falls through there’s a backup. I love to cook and would be happy going to culinary school in Paris, becoming an executive chef and opening a restaurant. more…

The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs presents Crossing Culinary Borders on Saturday, August 12 at 10 a.m. During this nine-hour culinary tour, which departs from the Chicago Cultural Center, visitors venture to three Chicago Culinary Schools?Lexington College, Washburne Culinary Institute, and Kendall College?for a day in the life of a culinary student. Guests learn from and work beside professional instructors in top-notch facilities during three cooking classes as these culinary schools open their kitchens to the aspiring chefs. In an attempt to hone their newly acquired skills, students have the opportunity to create dishes on their own, each with an international flair.
The first stop is at Lexington College for continental breakfast and an orientation with a culinary school instructor. Here, guests are introduced to equipment and learn the basics such as kitchen practices and knife skills. Next on the culinary journey is Washburne Culinary Institute, where the novice students work alongside culinary instructors to make lunch dishes utilizing the skills learned in the earlier session. The final stop of the day is at Kendall College, where the lessons of the day are put to the test in a state-of-the-art teaching kitchen. The budding chefs have a chance to show what they have learned as they are given recipes, ingredients and a time schedule in which to produce hors d’oeuvres for a celebration cocktail party, where certificates are rewarded for a successful day in culinary school. more…

Philadelphia - The family of a young culinary student are looking for the person responsible for killing their son on his way home from meeting with friends.

Tyrone Moore/Stepfather: “I want the killer caught. It’s as simple as that. I want the killer caught.” Tyrone Moore expresses his desire for justice in the slaying of his stepson, Patrick Spencer.

It was Sunday, April 9th. The 19-year-old culinary arts student at Community College was returning home after meeting with friends. He was walking home, when he was gunned down on the 1100 block of Orianna Street. Not far from his home. more…

It’s a lesson in pop art these Fort Lauderdale students won’t forget - seventeen-feet of tasty popcorn in the shape of a giant Mickey Mouse.

Seven students from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale are trying to take the title of world’s largest popcorn sculpture. The group started creating the mega-Mickey sculpture yesterday for an episode of Food Network Challenge, which will air in October. more…

Also…

Popcorn Mickey Mouse to Break World Record

Belfast schoolgirl Meghan Shaw has served up a special recipe to celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

The teenager presented her own dish, oatmeal mackerel with yoghurt, to the TV star and to MP Parmjit Dhanda last week when her school, Lisnasharragh High, was named runner-up in the secondary school element of the Active Kids Get Cooking Challenge.

After tasting recipes devised by 12 short-listed schools from around the UK Jamie and Ms Dhanda rewarded their favourites with certificates and prizes. more…

CHICAGO

HOMARO CANTU’S maki look a lot like the sushi rolls served at other upscale restaurants: pristine, coin-size disks stuffed with lumps of fresh crab and rice and wrapped in shiny nori. They also taste like sushi, deliciously fishy and seaweedy.

But the sushi made by Mr. Cantu, the 28-year-old executive chef at Moto in Chicago, often contains no fish. more…

Learning culinary techniques might not be everyones cup of tea, but for some area youth, it could some day be their way of life.

With The Food Network as one of her favorite television channels to watch, young Biljana Stephens of Windsor was a perfect candidate for a cooking class geared just for her age group.

Biljana, 11, is the daughter of Tammy Stephens of Windsor and David Stephens of Gays. more…

Young chef-in-training Zara Kasey drops frozen grape concentrate into the blender as Mackenzie Gossard and Jessica Taylor watch as their group makes a Purple Cow milk shake June 21 at the Coles County Fairgrounds 4-H extension building in Charleston.Photos by Ken Trevarthan/Staff Photographer

Anna Ference was born in Boston, Massachusetts on October 4, 1982. At the age of 2, she moved to San Antonio, Texas where she stayed until she was 18. Anna attended Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania where she received a Bachelor of Arts. During college she realized her true passion was cooking. After graduating she decided to continue her education in culinary arts by attending California Culinary Academy, where she will receive an Associate of Occupational Studies Degree in Le Cordon Bleu-Culinary Arts. more…

Anna Ference is the winner of the regional S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition at the California Culinary Academy (CCA). Anna Ference is a top student at the California Culinary Academy who impressed the judges with her innovative creation of Seared Ahi Tuna.For an intense two hour preparation for the student contestants’ signature dish for presentation and judging, Anna Ference and eight students from CCA competed for advancement to the national competition. A panel of celebrity chefs and food media judged the contestants’ culinary and presentation skills, in addition to offering some guidance and tips on how to become a culinary star! The culinary judging panel included Arnold Eric Wong of EOS Restaurant & Wine Bar, Scott Giambastiani of Voignier, Greg Cole of Celadon and Coles Chop House, Mark Stark of Wili’s Wine Bar and Steven Oliver of Nob Hill Gazette. more…

Las Vegas (PRWEB) June 26, 2006 — Local entertaining magazine, Confetti Connection and culinary demonstration studio, Cheflive, are partnering up to produce, Cheflive Confetti Kids, an innovative and educational cooking show geared toward families. The monthly cooking show will showcase kid-friendly recipes, ideal for upcoming holidays and celebrations. (more…..)

This is the first year that the San Joaquin Fair’s cooking contests are not interactive, but that doesn’t mean the judges don’t taste everything that’s submitted - with rare exceptions.

Judges have seen it all. A teen once brought in a plate full of salty cookies, according to food judge Autumn Dedini. And then there was the avocado pie judge Bette Rossi once had to face. Made the night before judging, it had not been refrigerated. By the time it came up for a tasting, it was a blackened mess. more…

This past school year at Montlake Elementary, fourth- and fifth-graders participated in the Ravioli Project, which was an extension of the Greenhouse and Garden Program that has been a part of the curriculum since 2001. In addition to learning about horticulture, students tasted the garden-to-table experience through collaboration with Cafe Lago (2305 24th Ave. E.), a nearby pasta restaurant known for its ethereal lasagna.

In herb ravioli, the students discovered culinary context.

The Greenhouse and Garden Program was the brainchild of Cheri Bloom, who had specialized in horticultural therapy, working with the elderly and other special-needs groups. About 12 years ago, she transformed her “typical Seattle back yard” into an organic farm, which she had certified as the smallest organic farm in Washington. The farm benefited her clients and the restaurants that bought the greens. more…

Cafe Lago chef Brad Jencks imparts the finer points of making ravioli to Montlake Elementary student Augusta Chapman as part of the Ravioli Project.