National Culinary Review - September 2011

STUDENT CULINARIAN INVITATIONAL

Randy Torres, CEC, left, and Edalyn Garcia, representing the Western Region, plate Korean red chili-glazed pork tenderloin, Asian pear/napa cabbage slaw, black bean hoisin sauce, sesame-scented green beans, and pork belly steamed bun with avocado salsa at the Student Culinarian Invitational July 23. Reilly Meehan was also on the team.

Four teams representing the four ACF regions, an at-large team and a team from Canada prepared food at the event, which raised funds for region and at-large team members to travel to the 2012 World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) International Congress in South Korea.

home. So salt properly as you cook, and then
don’t add it at the table.”
The bigger issue? We eat too much food,
and we don’t cook enough at home, Brown
said. “Be responsible for what you put in
your mouth. Drink water, get exercise, eat
your vegetables.”
entering. “You are going to manage people
who are not like you, so you will have to learn
about other cultures. White? Learn a little
Hispanic. Hispanic? Learn a little Asian.
Asian? Learn a little black.”
Fernandez said. “You need positive energy
inside you and around you.”
And where you start from isn’t as important
as how you manage your future going
forward, Fernandez said. He talked about
not having any culinary experiences in his
life until he went to Johnson & Wales. There,
he ate at a restaurant for the first time and
learned about credit cards and tipping.

He asked participants to consider when to network and why, but in all cases, he said, “Be strategic. Start to think deliberately about where you want to go and what you want to be. Write it down. Then, tell your story—always networking, always on.”

STUDENT NETWORKING FORUM Gerry Fernandez, president/founder, Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance, Providence, R.I., spoke to student culinarians July 25 during the national convention in Dallas. Fernandez, a 1976 graduate of Johnson & Wales University, was introduced by Karl Guggenmos, AAC, university dean of culinary education. Johnson & Wales has sponsored the student forum since it began in 2005.

He stressed the importance of having
a strategy, rather than leaving possible
career boosts to chance. He said he wrote
to chefs whose work he admired and said
he would visit when he was in the area.
“Use whatever you have as an asset to
advance your career.”
Fernandez offered these keys to good
networking:
• Give first, share always (attributed to
George C. Fraser, chairman/CEO,
FraserNet, Inc.)

He went on to explain that multicultural is
mainstream in the profession they would be
He advised setting goals, but giving
yourself permission to cross off stuff you
don’t want to do. And, it’s OK to change
your mind or direction. “Don’t let fear stop
you doing what you want to do in the world,”