April 2012 Chefs4Students.org Culinary Grant Winners Announced

Posted on April 13, 2012 by David

Grant Winner!


Steamboat Springs, Colorado, USA – April 13, 2012 – Chefs4Students.org today announced the two winners of the April, 2012 culinary grants. The program previously known as the Chef2Chef.net Scholarship Fund was established in 2003 to assist culinary students in need of financial assistance. Since that time, $75,000 has been awarded to future culinarians in the form of $1,000 culinary grants.

For the 2011/2012 academic year, Chefs4Students.org received more than 900 applications from students at over 26 different culinary schools across the country and abroad. Eligible students must attend a culinary school at the time of the award, show proof of their financial need, provide letters of recommendation, transcripts and a 500-word essay.

This year the reviewing panel consisted of several certified chefs, business executives and culinary professionals from various organizations across the globe. The administrators of Chefs4Students.org did not participate in the final selection process. We are pleased to award a Chefs4Students.org $1,000.00 culinary grant to the following students.

The first Chefs4Students.org grant is awarded today in the name of The Reluctant Gourmet, who generously sponsored a fifth grant in our program this past year. The recipient of that grant is:

•   Brice A. Holland, Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY

And the second grant will be awarded to:

•   Mary Alice Montgomery, Johnson & Wales, Denver, CO

Funds for the two April 2012 grants were generated by The Reluctant Gourmet, private donations, an online culinary auction hosted at CulinaryHallofFame.com and the Administration of Chefs4Students.org.

About the Chefs4Students.org Culinary Grant Program

Chefs4Students.org offers a variety of programs for companies and individuals to participate in this non-profit effort to assist culinary students in need.

The Chefs4Students.org Culinary Grant Program is administered by Chef David and Pamela Nelson. Chefs4Students.org utilizes the Yampa Valley Community Foundation, www.yvcf.org to independently oversee the financial aspects of this non-profit fund. Your contribution may be tax deductible. Please call Chef David Nelson at 970-846-0059 for further information on how to help us give back to the future of the culinary industry.

For More Information: http://www.chefs4students.org

About The Reluctant Gourmet:

ReluctantGourmet.com is a culinary site created by a home cook who thought, “I’ve got to eat, so why not learn to cook and eat well?”

After 15 years of teaching himself and the millions of cooking enthusiasts who visit each year, the site is now a popular resource for individuals interested in going to culinary arts school to start a career in the food industry. With school listings, books to read, interviews with chefs and articles about the industry, the Reluctant Gourmet Culinary School Resource Center http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/culinary_school.htm is a great place to decide if the culinary industry is right for you.

This year’s panel of chefs, business folks and culinarians worked hard to select the winners of these grants by reviewing the essays and letters of recommendations of the finalists as presented to them. We applaud them for their time and consideration in this process.

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Posted on April 7, 2012 by David

OVERLOOK FARM HOSTS FIRST ANNUAL CHEFS, FRIENDS & FAMILIES

5K RUN/WALK BENEFITING CHEFS FOR STUDENTS

CLARKSVILLE, MO, MARCH X, 2012 – On April 22, 2012, Overlook Farm in Clarksville, Mo. will host the First Annual Chefs, Friends, and Families 5K Run/Walk to benefit Chefs for Students (chefs4students.org), a Colorado-based non-profit organization spearheaded by Chef David Nelson and focused on raising funds for culinary scholarships available to applicants nationwide. Overlook Farm is a 325-acre working farm bordering the grand Mississippi River and including a stellar farm-to-table restaurant and two historic inns. The run will wind through some spectacular Pike County countryside.

“It is our belief at Overlook Farm that good food and good health go hand in hand and we are proud to be partnering with this important organization for this exciting event,” said Anne Croy, event organizer and Executive Pastry Chef for Overlook Farm.

“The St. Louis and surrounding area has never called upon the culinary community in particular to participate in a running event.  We hope to involve not only chefs and their cohorts, but the entire ‘foodie’ community.”

The race will begin at 9 a.m. on Sunday, April 22, with race-day registration from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Registration will be capped at 400 participants so early registration is encouraged. The event is being managed by Big River Running and registration is now available online at http://bigriverrunning.com/chefsrun. The entry fee is $25 or $30 on race day.

“We have received nothing but positive response from the St. Louis and surrounding communities thus far,” said Croy, “My goal was to bring two passionate groups together for a morning of good cheer. Interesting things can happen when we focus on shared experiences.  To me, that is the greatest reward of cooking and running.”

Overlook Farm solicited the help of St. Louis-based Firecracker Press to design and print the eye-catching event posters.  An event T-shirt and unique “swag bag” will be given to all race participants. There will also be post-race snacks, awards and an event raffle/silent auction, and volunteers will lead tours of Overlook Farm’s new greenhouses and event barn. Organizers hope to enlist participating chefs in a post-race potluck brunch as well. For event information or to participate in potluck brunch, please contact Anne Croy at anne@overlookfarmmo.com.

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About Overlook Farm

Perched atop one of the highest points along the majestic Mississippi River and winding down to the scenic Great River Road, lies one of the country’s most unique and attractive travel destinations, Overlook Farm in Clarksville, Missouri.  With its collection of luxury inns, farm-to-table restaurant, and lush, bountiful orchards and gardens, Overlook Farm is an oasis tucked among the rolling hills and Mississippi River, just one hour north of St. Louis.

The property has been in the family of Proprietor, Nathalie Pettus for over 150 years, and was part of her great grandfather’s awarded Spanish land grant in the late eighteenth century. Nathalie has recreated the elegance of a time past with modern day indulgences through the meticulous renovation of some of the oldest residences in the state. At the same time, she has partnered with area growers to bring back the farming heritage of the region.

About Chefs4Students.org

C4S is a not-for-profit organization founded by dedicated chefs committed to giving back to the future of the industry. Chefs from all over the world have come together to raise money by booking out their restaurants for food and wine pairings along with silent auctions. It has also been funded by generous like-minded culinarians in many forms including cash and product donations for auctions, cookbook donations and more. For more information, visit www.chefs4students.org.

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White Corn, Bacon and Bourbon Clam Steam…Yup!

Posted on April 5, 2012 by David

White Corn, Bacon and Bourbon Clam Steam

Sometimes I call this a stew. The broth is so rich, you’ll be scooping every last drop out of the pan with a spoon or sopping it up with some crusty bread. It is a great way to eat fresh clams and is great as an appetizer for two or a meal for one…give it a try! :-)

White Corn, Bacon and Bourbon Clam Steam

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon Olive oil
1/4 pound thick-cut bacon, cut into lardons *
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika **
1 large clove of garlic, thinly sliced ***
1 tablespoon red onion, minced
3 ears corn, shucked and cut from the cobs
Salt and Naughty Nelly’s Deadly Twelve Pepper blend, to taste
1/4 pound yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
Juice of 1/4 lemon
1 tablespoon bourbon, or a bit more J
20-24 Manila clams, scrubbed well
4 thick slices crusty bread
Soft butter
4 basil leaves, chiffonade cut

Preparation:

Place a 8 inch wide, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the oil and bacon, and cook until the fat is rendered and the lardons are nice and crispy. Remove about half of the liquid in the pan, leaving about a tablespoon and a half. Stir in the paprika and cook for 20 seconds.

Add the garlic, red onion, corn, seasoning, and stir, cooking for about 2 minutes. Gently fold in the tomatoes and cover. Cook over low heat until the tomatoes soften, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the lemon juice and bourbon, stir, and turn off the heat. Add the clams with the mouths facing up. Turn the heat on medium high, cover the pot, and cook until the clams open, 3 to 5 minutes depending on the size of your clams.

Meanwhile, grill or toast the bread and lightly butter it. Remove the pot from the stove, sprinkle with basil, and serve with the toasted bread and a bowl for the clam shells.

Serves 2

* Lardon is a small strip or cube of pork fat (usually subcutaneous fat) used in a wide variety of cuisines to flavor savory foods and salads.

** I use a sweet paprika and a pinch of Naughty Nelly’s Hot Smoked Paprika

*** For a more pronounced garlic flavor, mince it…I do!

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Cooky Cat. A Culinary Blog by David D. Wronski is inducted into the Culinary Hall of Fame.

Posted on March 28, 2012 by David

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mesa, Arizona, USA – March, 27th, 2012 – CulinaryHallofFame.com announced today that Cooky Cat, a Culinary Blog by David D. Wronski is now the eighth Inductee into the Culinary Hall of Fame on their website. David D. Wronski and his many friends and followers voted for his blog until he reached 2000 points, the required amount to be inducted. His plaque will hold a permanent place on the Culinary Hall of Fame Inductee Page and will be linked to his outstanding culinary blog. David is from Montclair, New Jersey and his plaque will also be permanently listed on NewJerseyCulinaryHallofFame.com

Inductees listed on the Culinary Hall of Fame Inductee Page are also granted access to the exclusive Inductee Lounge, a Forum area not visible to the general public, where a group of highly skilled internet and real world culinarians can interact in fundraising activities, charity events, have the option to serve on the Chefs4Students.org review panel for culinary grant requests, participate in joint campaigns, promotions and more. Congratulations to David D. Wronski and his Culinary Blog,Cooky Cat

About Cooky Cat

Cooky Cat is the electronic front of the house guy for David D. Wronski. This culinary kitty naps near a warm hearth in beautiful historic Montclair, New Jersey.

David himself has had a long time interest and natural hands-on sense for food preparation and service; with a variety of practical culinary experience in the home, as a caterer, restaurant sous chef, banquet planner, director of a large scale institutional food service. Even as a butcher and a baker. (Candlesticks, not so much.) Professionally he is an experienced writer, and Cooky Cat is one of his creative inventions.

Through Cooky Cat Mr. Wronski expresses himself on all matters culinary, high and low. Here, there, and everywhere. Cooky Cat is a fun loving foodie who likes to spice up his writing with humor, artistry and a surprise or two. He aims to make it an interesting read. No telling what that kitty will be up to. But he’s not much for lengthy detailed step by step exegesis. He considers that pussy footing. And, besides, the Internet is full of just about everything, a click away. In his own direct full whiskered way, he proclaims. . . “The world does not need another cook book.” At least not one from one Cooky Cat, that is.

What Cooky Cat does is offer direct practical advice, new (hopefully) ideas, and comments and opinions. Even though the Internet is a search away from every recipe and information, sometimes it’s good to have a trusty heads up on what’s necessary and what’s not, where to watch out. All that, wrapped up in a flavorful crisp tasty humorous crust. He is not afraid to express a strong preference or two. But, he always gives solid well researched information. An early adopter of fusion cuisine, expect Cooky Cat to cover a broad territory.

About CulinaryHallofFame.com

The Culinary Hall of Fame is an international culinary showcase for websites, products, services and skills.

The visitors at www.culinaryhalloffame.com have an opinion and they express it daily by voting and writing comments for their favorite TV shows, blogs, videos, cook books, schools, instructors, chefs, scholarships, caterers, culinary visionaries, restaurants, recipes, wine, beer and gourmet websites among others. Their online auctions benefit financially strapped culinary students around the world.

To add your culinary endeavor for free, to vote for your favorites or to browse for ideas, point your browser towww.culinaryhalloffame.com

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Clams Casino – I’m Addicted!!!

Posted on March 15, 2012 by David

This is my favorite way to prepare Middle Neck Clams, without a doubt!

Clams Casino

Clams Casino

Ingredients:

6 strips bacon
6 tablespoons butter
2 dozen middle neck clams, scrubbed
rock salt
Naughty Nelly’s Lime Pepper with Salt
Plain dried bread crumbs
1 lemon, halved
4 ounces of Parmesan cheese, grated
paprika

Preparation:

Cook the bacon in a heavy skillet until quite crispy. Remove the bacon to dry paper towels and drain. Reserve the bacon fat. Melt the butter and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

Open the clams over a bowl to collect the fluids. Save the shells in the sink. Wash the shells thoroughly and separate them saving the best ones for presentation. Nestle 24 shells on top of a layer of rock salt in a jelly roll pan. This keeps them level to hold in all the juices and flavor. Add the clams back to the shells with a bit of the liquid.

Break the bacon bits up into small pieces and place them on top of the clams. Drizzle the clams with a bit of the reserved bacon fat. Sprinkle with a bit of Naughty Nelly’s Lime Pepper with Salt.

Lightly dust the clams with plain bread crumbs and squeeze a little lemon juice over all the clams. Drizzle the clams with the melted butter and top with the cheese. Sprinkle with paprika.

Bake for 4-5 minutes. Allow to cool for a bit before serving.

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The toughest job I ever had!

Posted on February 21, 2012 by David

Years ago a fine group of culinarians and chefs hatched an idea on an online forum at Chef2Chef.net to raise money to help support culinary students struggling with the overwhelming financial burden of their education. We raised money by doing culinary fundraisers, online auctions, took in donations, cookbooks were even written with the profits going to support those students.

That program is still alive after all these years and we have handed out $90,000 to culinary students around the world! In 2006, the program was renamed Chefs4Students.org and my wife Pam and I have administered and maintained the program and website at our own cost and will continue to do so as long as we possibly can.

Sounds pretty cool huh? Well truth be told, it is the toughest job we ever had. I am reminded of this almost every day as the applications come in to our mailbox. I know that we cannot help them all and most are deserving. They all have a story to tell and do so in their essays. Pam and I have read every one over the years and that amounts to thousands of personal stories loaded with passion, hope and vision. We do it when we take long drives. Pam reviews the information, if it is all in order, she then reads the essays and letters of recommendation to me as I drive. sometimes we laugh, sometimes we applaud and sadly, sometimes we shed a tear.

I am telling you…it is hard to hear and even harder to select the finalists. We have our guidelines and it is difficult to put someones application in the “No” pile. It is really hard! We read between the lines, we look for intense passion and vision from the ones who really know what they are getting into. Some years we have had to look at nearly a thousand applications and whittle them down to just a couple dozen or less finalists. Try to do that!

The job gets a bit easier after that. We have a support group of chefs and like minded culinarians around the world who donate their time to review the finalist’s essays and letters of recommendation via a .pdf file. They each, independently select their choices for the top candidates and send their votes to us. We tally them all up and the students with the most votes get the $1,000 grants. Pam and I do not vote in the final selection process.

The grants are written to the college the students are attending, and are directly applied towards their tuition debt. I have handed those checks to quite a few of those students personally and THAT feels good! Really good. It is good to give back to an industry that has been very good and rewarding to me. I’m just a guy and my wife and I put money in every year…feels good! But without the help and continued support of all those chefs and like minded culinarians that helped envision this program and the folks who have helped fund those grants year after year with their cash donations, this program would have died years ago. One friend of our program who donates a $1,000 a year told me a few months back…”Why do I do it? It makes me feel good, that’s why.” If we had a thousand friends like that, imagine the difference we could make!

This year, a new burst of energy is coming to our cause. We have an ongoing online auction here at CHOF, that has raised about $250 in the first 45 days! We have two real fund raisers scheduled for this year that will add real money to the program. I am excited and optimistic about our future with Chefs4Students.org

Thanks for the toughest job I ever had!

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I have Leftovers…What do I do now? By C. Jean Denham, CC

Posted on January 1, 2012 by David

I have Leftovers…What do I do now? By C. Jean Denham, CC


I have Leftovers…What do I do now? By C. Jean Denham, CC

A cookbook review: I know Chef Jean and have had the opportunity to cook with her on several occasions in person and even more so online for many years. So, when she asked me to take a look at her newest cookbook, I was flattered and quite interested, because I am a leftover nut and was secretly hoping to gather a few new ideas.

Taking leftovers and turning them into a great meal or appetizer can actually be more of a challenge than preparing the original or “Master” recipe as Chef Jean calls them. One key to successful leftover recipes is the quality of the leftovers…right? Makes sense! Jean Denham takes an interesting approach in her Leftover cookbook by giving you “Master” recipes at the beginning of each chapter, so before you start to deal with leftovers, you start with a chef tested recipe. Then the fun begins!

While Jean Denham says “to use these recipes as a guide and go outside the box in combining flavors and foods” I think she has done that work for us. I think readers will be making her “Master” recipes just to use the leftover recipes.

Another thing that I found very interesting was that through the book she throws in a page every now and then with 15 or more tips on how to use a specific leftover food and turn it to a myriad of different dishes. One of my favorite sections was her Soup Chapter, while short it offered several “Master” recipes, then in one game changing page she gives you seventeen tips to make them your own, using leftover ingredients we all seem to have in the fridge…very fun! Crab Cake BLTs, Mashed Potato Stuffed Hot Dogs, Chocolate Bread Pudding with Brandy Caramel Sauce…they are all in there.

While Chef Jean Denham is a trained chef, she is not pretentious; she will open a can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup and show you ways to use it you never thought of. I like that! And, the book is in spiral bound form, so it lays flat next to your stove. A “Keeper” for $12.95!

Pick up a copy of I have Leftovers…What do I do now? By C. Jean Denham, CC online at www.jexbo.com or www.etsy.com or www.amazon.com

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David Nelson to host a Video Workshop for Chefs

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Fred

Chef David Nelson, a principal at the Culinary Hall of Fame. recently completed a series of high definition videos now playing at a prominent internet site. As you might guess, the production of professional videos can set you back thousands.  Now the good news:

THERE IS A WAY TO PRODUCE HIGH QUALITY HD VIDEOS IN EXCHANGE FOR YOUR TALENT AND EXPERTISE!


Chef David Nelson now passes along the do’s and don’ts in a VIDEO WORKSHOP group hosted at www.culinarybytes.com – This video workshop is not open to the general public. To gain access to this information, create an account and follow @DavidNelson.

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Ted’s Terrific Bean Soup

Posted on December 5, 2011 by David

Ted's Terrific Bean Soup

Ted's Terrific Bean Soup

The weather is turning cool here in the great land of the U.S.A and Pam made this soup the other night for her brother’s family who will be on their way to Arizona real soon. It is named after my Father in Law, Ted Taggart, although my Mother in Law says he had nothing to do with it origin, but I guess I shouldn’t go there right now…It is a real hearty soup, especially on a cool evening. Give it a try and I think you will agree…

Ted’s Terrific Bean Soup

Makes 6 hearty servings

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken stock
2 pounds chicken thigh, uncooked
1 cup onions, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup corn, frozen
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon rosemary, dried
1 teaspoon basil, dried
1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried
1/2 teaspoon oregano, dried
1 28 ounce can tomatoes, whole, peeled
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 pound Polish sausages
2 cups ham, cut into cubes
1 24 ounce jar Randall Great Northern Beans
1 24 ounce jar Randall Pinto Beans

Preparation:

Pour chicken stock into a large kettle. Add chicken, onions, celery, corn, garlic, parsley, rosemary, basil, thyme, oregano, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes or until chicken is tender. Skim the broth if foam appears.

Remove from heat. Remove the chicken from the broth to cool. Once cool enough to handle, remove the bones and cut the meat into small pieces. Reserve.

While the broth is simmering, place the sausage into a heavy skillet and cover it with water. Simmer the sausage for 15 minutes and drain. Once the sausage is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and slice into 1/2 inch pieces.

Add the deboned chicken, sausage slices, and the cubed ham to the broth and return to a simmer for 15 minutes. Add the Randall Beans and continue to simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Serve in large warm bowls with fresh baked bread and soft butter. :-)

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Satay Pasta Salad

Posted on December 1, 2011 by David

Satay Pasta Salad

Recently I was recruited to do some “How To” videos for the web. We had a crew in to video 17 recipes, this being one of them. Pam and I put this recipe together the night before, combining several recipes and it came out just perfect! Give it a try…I know you will like it!

Satay Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 pound Cavatappi pasta, cooked and chilled
2 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and diced 1/2 inch
1/2 pound asparagus, ends removed, and cut in thirds diagonally
1/2 each orange and red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
2 scallions (green parts), sliced diagonally
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds, toasted

For the dressing:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of Sriracha Sauce or more
juice of I lime

Preparation:

Blanch the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain.

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing.  Pour your desired amount over the pasta and toss to fully incorporate. Add the chicken to the dressed pasta and fold in. Now, top with the asparagus and peppers and push them into the pasta and chicken. Top with the scallions and sesame seeds. Serve cold or at room temperature.

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