My babies are leaving the nest...

For the last four years, I have had the honor and privilege to work with these ten students through Family Foods, Culinary Arts 1, Culinary Arts 2, and even Advanced Foods with most of them.  Out of 10, 7 plan on continuing in the food-service industry and all 10 will be successful in wherever life will lead them.  You were a class of very strong personalities and although that can often cause collisions in a classroom, it also formed connections and hopefully memories for a lifetime.  Best of luck and visit me often- Moehr Bear

Alfredo Light

Family Foods students had one last opportunity to work together in their teams in preparing the "mystery" cooking final- Alfredo Light.  A simple, yet healthy and easy to modify recipe, students were given the recipe as a platform but could season and garnish with whatever ingredients they found in the seasoning pantry and refrigerator.

National Restaurant Association (NRA) Expo, Chicago, IL

                

I was fortunate to attend the NRA show as part of my trip to the NRAEF awards.  It was astonishing and overwhelming the number of exhibits, displays, demonstrations held at a space the size of more than 20 football fields.  It was anticipated that people from over 100 countries would be attendance to see the over 2,000 exhibits.  

                      

NRAEF James H. Maynard Award Winner 2013

I was honored to be awarded this year’s James Maynard Award at the NRAEF’s Educator Excellence Awards Dinner at the Hotel Sax in Chicago on Friday, May 17th. Jennifer Guiffre, a teacher at Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES in New York, was the other national award recipient and I look forward to working with her in July at the Golden Corral Corporate Headquarters in North Carolina to undergo a portion of their management training.  

More information can be found at Wisconsin Restaurant Association's article regarding the award.

                                                                                                     

Sharing the moment with my good friend
and fellow award winner
from Missouri, Linda Stinson

As part of the Educators of Excellence Awards was being able to collaborate with the other award winners from across the country, as well as have the opportunity to work one-on-one with chefs at Chicago's Le Cordon Bleu.  It was an amazing day and I learned so much from the chefs in such a short amount of time.  I highly encourage students to check out their campus as I guarantee you would be receiving an excellent education in preparing for a future in the culinary industry.

                                                      

CA2 Explores Indian Cuisine

In order to better understand the cuisine of India, teams of Culinary Arts 2 students investigated the Indian culture to identify traditions and customs of a region of India (Northern India, Southern India, Western India, Assam, and Jain).  Their research included:

o   Traditions and customs

§  In addition to other research,  include material found in the “Regional Alerts” portion as identified in India’s Food Pyramid (see http://www.foodpyramidindia.org/)

o   Food preferences

o   Religion/Impact on cuisine

o   Specific culinary techniques

Recipes were then prepared in class for everyone to
taste test.

Super Ron's Smart Consumer Cook-Off

As being smart consumers, students planned recipes based on items on sale at our local grocery store, Super Ron's.  A wide variety of dishes and desserts made for an eclectic cook-off!

                           

Hr 3 Cook-Off Winners

Hr 2 Cook-Off Winners

Hr 1 Cook-Off Winners

Nutrition Across the Lifespan

Elmo Pizza for Toddlers

Pineapple Fried Rice

Family Foods students explored the nutrition across the lifespan by dividing up into six different stages of life to present nutritional needs of a certain age group and planning a nutritionally beneficial main entree for that age group.                       

Juicy Lucy Turkey Burger

 

      Hr 2 Winners: Pineapple Fried Rice

Hr 1 Winners: Chicken Stir Fry

Hr 3 Winners: Juicy Lucy Turkey Burger