Cooking Schools In Vancouver

The devil's in the details, or for reality TV show hopefuls in Chicago, the chef's hat as they vie for a spot cooking in Gordon Ramsay's "Hell's Kitchen."
Ramsay, a three-star restaurateur with eateries scattered across the globe, berates, belittles and bedevils the chef-contestants throughout the series until the final one standing wins a six-figure salary and a job running his or her own upscale restaurant.
More than 350 cooks were at the Illinois Institute of Culinary Arts Wednesday, trying to win a spot on Ramsay's televised boot camp. Several said the Scot's in-your-face behavior and profane language isn't unusual in the restaurant world, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
"You see that in every kitchen,'' Scott Van Dyke, 42, who cooks at a Grand Rapids, Mich., restaurant, told the Sun-Times.

PEORIA: District 150 and union negotiating

PEORIA - District 150's cafeteria employees won't face outsourcing this school year because the district has decided to keep its current food service arrangement in place.

But issues like pay and insurance are still up in the air because the employees' union is currently in contract negotiations with District 150. The union - the Peoria Federation of Support Staff Local 6099 - also represents clerical and paraprofessional employees.

Raises aren't budgeted for the union, which was news to the union president when informed by the Journal Star on Monday.

"We're not accepting that as an answer. … Any non-financial gain proposal would really be unacceptable at this point," Local 6099 President Debbie Chavez said.

If raises are bargained, it could impact the district's balanced budget, which is expected to be adopted at Tuesday's School Board meeting.

Athletics: Mayor prepared for Big Game

Dos Palos' decade-long domination of the local football scene has been a constant thorn in the side of Mayor Tommy Jones. This year, Jones said he is hoping the Tigers can break that cycle.

If not, Jones' wife might have a lot of cooking to do.

This year, Jones said he and Dos Palos mayor Michael Burns will continue the two cities' traditional wager on the Battle of the Westside. Jones said this year's bet will also involve Merced County Supervisor Jerry O'Banion, a former Dos Palos mayor and avid supporter of the city's high school football team.

The mayor of the winning city, Jones said, gets to be a dinner guest courtesy of the loser.

"Jerry O'Banion will join the wager this year and my belief is that Dos Palos will lose and Jerry O'Banion's wife will be cooking for us," Jones said, taking the opportunity to talk a little trash about his rivals.