The Culinary Connection- September 2005 We are Back The CAI newsletter is back!  We apologize for the delay between editions. This edition has a bit of the new and the old that occurred over the last year at the Culinary Arts Institute.  We will be publishing a second updated version very shortly.  We wanted to bring you update however with things you may have missed in our most recent past. Stay tuned for more news in the very near future; including wedding bells and the newest arrivals to the CAI family.  (Hint:  Congratulations to Beth and Colley Burns and their son John Robert, born Monday, September 5th.  John Robert is a healthy 5 pound 12 ounce bundle of joy that mom & dad are happy to announce.  Pictures soon!). Chef Sarah Chef Sarah bid a bittersweet farewell to the CAI program in July, 2005.  In our next newsletter we will provide a tribute to her leadership of the program at The W.  Chef Scott McKenzie was named Interim Director. Former CAI Grads Eric Ogle and Tracee Watkins Join CAI Staff Chef Eric Ogle, class of 1999 and most recently the Executive Chef at the Hotel Chester in Starkville, and Tracee Watkins, have joined the CAI faculty for upcoming academic year.  Eric had worked with Chef David at Old Waverly in West Point, Mississippi during his undergraduate education in culinary arts.  He was one of the first in a class of 7 to graduate from our program.  Currently there are 94 undergraduate majors. Eric was a guest chef for our CAI Lunch and Learn Series last semester. He is a full time chef instructor who is teaching Prep I and Dining Room Services in the majors program.  Tracee is an illustrious graduate of the program with the class of 2000.  She is the former Pastry Chef and Bakery Manager at MSU.  She is also completing her MBA at State.  Tracee is an adjunct instructor who is teaching  Advanced Baking in the fall of 2005.   Both Eric and Tracee provide wonderful expertise for our new academic year.  Tracee and Eric are also proud parents of daughter Erika. Yearly Valentine Extravaganza Big Hit Again  The CAI successfully completed the 2005 version of what has become a tradition for the department.  To see a synopsis of this year’s event in pictures, follow this link.  Reprinted below is an article preceding the event this year and published from the Commercial Dispatch, Columbus, MS. Valentine Extravaganza:  A Fine Dining Experiecne.  Reprinted from the Commercial Dispatch (Vicky Newman), February 2, 2005 Looking for an opportunity for a formal fine dining experience, complete with fine wines and champagne as well as elegant hors d’oeuvres? Once again on February 12, the Lowndes County Alumni Association of Mississippi University for Women will host the annual Valentine Extravaganza, with foods prepared and presented by students of the MUW Culinary Arts Institute.  This year the extravaganza will be held at Belvedere, the home of longtime MUW supporters Bud and Joy Phillips.  Belvedere is located at 527 Holly Hills Road.   Now in its seventh year, the annual fund-raiser event has become a tradition I the community.  “Each year the Valentine Extravaganza brings in a lot of new faces,” says Gail Laws, past president of the international alumni association and one who has been involved in each event.  “It is a beautiful event, and it is a drawing card that we hold in homes; a warmer more intimate and inviting environment that a convention center would be.  People love doing this for the W, and people love going into other people’s homes.” Law continues, “We are lucky to have the culinary arts school here to work with us every year on this fund-raiser.  It is a wonderful event.  The culinary arts school is such an asset, and they do such a good job at community outreach.”   While the annual event has become much anticipated as a Valentine’s Day celebration by many area residents, organizers stresses that it is not for couples only.  Many annual attendees come solo, simply to enjoy the food and fellowship or because they are staunch supporters of MUW.  “A lot of people come just because they enjoy the parties or they love the W, “Laws says. Salt and Pepper:  Culinary Cohorts Cooking Together  The following article is reprinted in part from the Commercial Dispatch, Columbus Mississippi.  Author Vicky Newman, Food Editor for the Dispatch, featured an interesting comparison of two from the current crop of graduating seniors in culinary arts Salt and Pepper: Two “seasoned” MUW culinary students set to become shakers    Vicky Newman, Commercial Dispatch January 26, 2005 It was quite a coincidence.  In spring 2003 two students reporting to the Mississippi University for Women Culinary Arts Institute program possessed the same somewhat uncommon given name, Gabe.  To compound that coincidence, their surnames, McCarter and McCann, were confusingly similar, separated by only a few letters.  Initially, where both were present, few could keep their names straight. Sharing classes and a passion for cooking, with much in common, they soon became friends.  To others, the only readily apparent and clear-cut difference had to do with race, one Gabe was white, the other African-American. The culinary students bestowed the nicknames.  Gabe McCarter became “Gabe Pepper.”  McCann became “Gabe Salt.”  The nicknames soon were simplified to “Salt and pepper”, monikers that reduced confusion as the students learned the basics in the kitchen.   “It was confusing until they gave us our nicknames, “ said McCarter (“Pepper”).  “Then one of the students wrote ‘Salt’ and ‘Pepper’ on the rosters and attendance rolls.  We were called by those nicknames for the entire course.” Last summer Pepper completed a culinary internship at the famed Mirival Life in Balance Spa in Tucson, Arizona.  Slat landed a job and internship at Market Street Grill & Grocery in Fifth St. North in Columbus. In the fall, Pepper returned to classes at MUW and also began working at Market Street Grill.  Once again, the nicknames served to reduce confusion in the restaurant kitchen-at least until someone called the seasonings. Dr. Jim Fitzgerald, Associate Professor at MUW Culinary Arts Institute and adviser for both says the similarities between the two carry over inter their personalities, at least in the classroom and laboratory environment.  “They are similar in the kitchen- both sort of quiet and unassuming,” Fitzgerald says.  “Pepper has more of a flair for haute cuisine, while Salt is a bistro kind of guy, so they are even kind of complimentary there, like slat and pepper.” The two are similar in another way.  Both claim that family members influenced their decisions to become chefs.  Pepper, a native of Crawford, says he grew up around food preparation.  His mother is a caterer and operates a small restaurant in Crawford called C&G Sandwich Shop.  His uncle operates a restaurant called AKK’s located on Highway 69. Salt, a native of Shuqualak, said his grandfather was a great influence on his decision.   “My grandfather was in the Navy, and he said he had three options in the service-as a torpedo operator, electrician or cook.  He always said he regretted that he did not become a cook.  He loves people….I always thought I would make him proud and fulfill what he wanted to do.” McCarter and McCann agree that their time at the culinary institute has been positive, far from a grind.  Says Pepper, “At MUW I’ve learned more about French cuisine, as well as other aspects, like knife skills and working with people.”  Salt agrees that learning to work with others is an important skill acquired through the program.  He adds, “I have learned not to be afraid to experiment, to put my own spin on foods.  I can take dishes I can already make and add my own twist, and come away with confidence.  I can do things I never thought I could do before.  It makes you proud and it makes the school happy.”   After only six years, graduates of the MUW Culinary Arts Institute program have taken prestigious positions in the food industry.  Pepper plans top pursue a master’s degree in food science, possible at the University of Georgia, or Florida A&M.  His goal is to work in research and development of foods with a major company someday.  Salt says he plans to join the military as a cook, but has not decided which branch of service.  He looks forward to traveling and “going where the road takes me”, he said. Another CAI Grad A Valuable Asset to a Mississippi Community Reprinted in part from the Mississippi Business Journal November 29, 2004 and written originally by Lynne Jeter, MBJ Contributing editor When Bill Horne wants to get away from it all, he simply heads outside, where there’s nary a noise except for the breeze of the trees and an occasional hoot owl.  AS executive director of The Duncan M. Gray Episcopal Camp and Conference Center in Canton, Mississippi, Horne arranges for business people to share the same experience.  Horne is so pleased with what he calls “the Gray Center’s greatest amenity” that he doesn’t want to talk about it very much.  “I Don’t want anyone to steal away our executive chef, Brian Huckaby,” says Horne.  “Nobody ever leaves here to find food, that ‘s for sure.  People come back over and over, mainly because of his cooking.  Lots of people have  suggested that we open a restaurant to the public, but we haven’t seen fit to do that.”   A graduate of the Culinary Arts Institute at the Mississippi University for Women, Huckaby studied under French Chef Roland Parney ad apprenticed at Monmouth Plantation in Natchez.  Fond of Louisiana style cooking, Huckaby “cleverly puts a twist on old staples,”  such as jambalaya and red beans and rice, and is well known in Memphis in May competition circles for his special barbecue, “ Said Horne.  “Thank goodness Brian loves his lifestyle.  I don’t want anybody to talk him into leaving.”  Says Horne. Food Stylist At CAI for Spring Semester Like the right of passage of spring in Mississippi and the blossoming of the magnolias, so to is the annual pilgrimage of students to a food styling class taught by Delores Custer.  Custer has been a visiting professor to MUW over the past 5 years.  Custer is world-renowned in food styling circles and has taught more than 3000 students as a visiting instructor at the Culinary Arts Institute in New York for the past 15 years.  The W is lucky that she makes an annual migration southward to teach a cohort of students in CA 415, Food Styling.  Custer imparts her years of food styling knowledge in a fun hands-on class environment.  She has received over the top class evaluations form her students.  Custer has worked with Julia Child on the Rosie O’Donnell show and considers it one of the highlights of her career.  Custer is working on writing both a food styling book as well as a collection of family recipes.  She once said that “recipes should never be secret, they are a wonderful gift." Her knowledge and experience brought forward as a teacher of W students in culinary arts is also a gift to our campus program.  Click on this link to see a sample of the pictures form a past food styling class held in the spring of 2004. More Grad News:  Where are They Now? Pat Berry (2003) is busy with many local catering events in the Columbus community.  Additional she is serving as an adjunct Instructor with the CAI on our Saturday certificate program series. John Day (2003) is the Executive Chef for Sodexho at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee.  Spouse Tara is working as treatment coordinator in Middlesboro, Kentucky. Amanda Fant (2002) is the Assistant Restaurant Manager for the Jared Coffin House on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts.   Hayden Hall (2004) is sales rep/manager with U.S. Food Service Memphis, Tennessee. Megan Hoag (2000) is working with Kraft Foods in Chicago, most recently surrounded by 20 different Velveeta dips in a unique food showing and marketing venue.   Vicki Leach (2001) is a Chef Instructor with the Viking Cooking School Greenwood, Mississippi.   Viking can be accessed through vikingrange.com Millie Wellborn (2004) is pastry chef at Kenmure Country Club in Ashville, NC.  She was formerly at the Biltmore Hotel and Resort in Ashville, North Carolina.  Click here to see a copy of her professional expertise. Emily Waters Norris (2001) and her husband Brock celebrated the birth of daughter Stella Pope Norris in January, 2005.  Congratulations!