Meet a GMC Writer

The Fifty-Minute Classroom

Adam Weiner, GMC writer of the monthly 50-Minute Classroom Series, has been the culinary arts instructor for JobTrain after a successful 10-year run as one of the top caterers on the San Francisco Peninsula.

He has taught over 500 students and published over 60 articles for several different publications on cooking and teaching. Among his many honors in August 2010 he was named a Certified Food Service Educator, the second person in the country to receive that certification.

Other recent honors include being nominated for the 2008 Chef of the Year by the Chefs’ Association of the Pacific Coast and being selected by the U.S. Navy to participate in their Adopt-A-Ship Program which assigns some of the top chefs in the country to work with the Navy’s Culinary Specialists to take Navy cooking to the next level. The Navy has sent him to Japan, the South Pacific, Florida, and New England.

As a vocational arts instructor, he teaches a 20-week introduction to professional cooking program to people of all ages and walks of life.

Although well-versed in most back-of-the-house and chef functions, he primarily focuses his attention on developing in his students a passion for cooking, responsibility, work ethic, and life skills. As one food industry executive put it: “He doesn’t produce prima donnas; he produces people who know how to work in a commercial kitchen.”

We feel fortunate to have Chef Weiner writing our column which focuses on skills and techniques that can be taught in a short class period.

For the latest “50-Minute Classroom,” you can go to http://cafemeetingplace.com/gmc/fifty-minute-classroom/motivation.html . In October’s Gold Medal Classroom.

CAFÉ's D.E.A.L. (Deal for Education and Learning) of the Week!

Reach out to get your copy of Soyfoods 101 DVD, a culinary guide to cooking with soyfoods that contains preparation techniques, delicious recipes, and information to allow you to easily incorporate nutritious soy products into healthy diets. Chapters include: Introduction, The Whole Soybean, Soy Milk, Tofu, Fermented Soy, Soy Flour, Meat Alternatives and Soybean Oil.

The video is easily divided into sections so that you can choose which topic(s) to cover in any given class. Chris Koetke from Kendall College developed the curriculum and is the on-the-camera professional.

For your copy (limit 100 to be given out), please contact Jantina Wennerstrom at jwennerstom@thesoyfoodscouncil.com or call 515-334-1039.

Thank you to the Soyfoods Council for this great classroom resource!

Culinary Student Recipe Contest

The Chilean Avocado Importers Association invites culinary students across the country to sharpen their knives, show off their skills and come up with their most creative avocado dish for a chance to win up to $1,000.

Recipes will be judged based on originality, taste and ease of preparation. The grand prize winner will be awarded $1,000 and two runners up will be awarded $250 each. Winners will be announced no later than January 6, 2012.

For more information on the 2011 contest, please go to http://www.chileanavocados.org/foodservice/culinary-student-recipe-contest

Deadline is December 15, 2011.