| Chefs Hope To Create Culinary Destination
Chefs have earned a reputation from books, movies and television as temperamental, demanding tyrants prone to toss a spatula at an underling as easily as they do a salad. It's a portrait not entirely inaccurate, says one."Some chefs are very egotistical, but the best ones I've worked with are cool as ice," said Eric Lea, head chef at Hog Haus Brewing Co. restaurant in Fayetteville.Now Lea and his fellow captains of the kitchen have come together in a newly formed chefs association to encourage networking among the profession and also support a school whose goal is to help Northwest Arkansas become a culinary destination.The Northwest Arkansas chapter of the American Culinary Federation held its first meeting July 30 in Fayetteville. The first person to join was Tuesday Eastlake, manager of the delicatessen at Ozark Natural Foods in Fayetteville and former executive chef at the Plaza Tower in New Orleans."I've thought we needed a chapter of the ACF for a long time," she said.
Le Cordon Bleu Chef Shares Restaurant Secrets
Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes of your favorite restaurants? You know, what's common knowledge among chefs and servers, but not so well-known among customers? We have some answers for you.Earlier this summer, I spent some time at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in Mendota Heights, Minn. and had a chance to interview the chef instructor there, Pierre Rabbia. He has 25 years of experience at restaurants in Europe and here in the U.S. He shared some advice about dining out.I asked him about the stories I have read about avoiding having dinner out on Monday nights. It's been reported that Mondays are the worst time to eat out because restaurants often use the ingredients that are leftover from the weekend.Rabbia chose the high road on that one and instead told me the best night of the week to dine out: Thursday."Usually Thursday is a good night because you receive the fresh produce for the weekend, and the service will be more attentive ...
Tennis star serves a return
BLUEFIELD, Va. — Marianna Sarver was a tennis standout.She ranked among the nation's best on the junior circuits, played one year for Bluefield High School, and followed that with three seasons at Wake Forest.Then, Sarver packed up and left for California. Tennis became an afterthought. She was a chef for about 12 years, followed by several years as a social worker. She's back. Tennis, and family, are a big reason why. Sarver's brother, Steve, the owner of Sedgewood Tennis Club encouraged a return to Bluefield. So did her mother, Joy. Not only will Sarver be back home on a permanent basis for the first time in 18 years, but she'll also work as an instructor at Sedgewood and will help promote tennis for the West Virginia Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States Tennis Association in southern West Virginia and southwest Virginia.
Viking helps promote catfish
GREENWOOD — The Catfish Institute (TCI) and Viking Range Corporation recently entertained New York chef and author David Pasternak at a lunch at the Viking Cooking School in Greenwood. Pasternak, winner of the 2004 James Beard Foundation/American Express Best Chef: New York City award, and Ed Levine, co-author of their new book "The Young Man and the Sea," were served "Paper Sack Catfish," a special U.S. farm-raised catfish recipe by Viking's eexecutive chef Martha Foose. TCI president Roger Barlow says, "TCI's partnership with Viking allowed us to introduce catfish to Chef Pasternack, who otherwise might never have heard about, or tasted, the South's favorite fish." .
Chef Gutierrez Driven By Growing Business Ventures
The work day at Chef Jose Gutierrez's year-and-a-half-old Downtown business, Encore Restaurant & Bar, begins at about 3 in the afternoon. Some of the kitchen staff already are in place doing prep work for the French-style bistro in Peabody Place. The rest of the staff, and Gutierrez himself, come into the restaurant in the early afternoon, drink their 2:30 espressos and ease into the daily frenzy of activity that surrounds a successful restaurant: signing invoices for deliveries, greeting stray customers who pop in to say hello, and making sure everything is in order for that night's crowd. And for Gutierrez, those daily responsibilities are just the tip of the iceberg. This summer, the master chef has been teaching cooking classes, preparing to launch a new catering business and planning for a wedding - his own.
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