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Dear BCA members,
We hope your summer is going successfully so far! We've got a lot of great things in the works this summer, including our membership drive, an upcoming Youtube and Flickr contest (with some great prizes!), and an end-of-summer networking event. Please enjoy this issue of our semi-annual news! As always, we hope you find it useful.
Also, the BCA would like to thank our office adminstrator, Martha Tenney, for her services to our organization. Best of luck with graduate school, Martha! In addition, we would like to welcome our new administrators, Hope Spithaler and Cody Duell, who recently joined the BCA team.
Sincerely,
The BCA |
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Summer Membership Drive!
Greetings fellow culinarians! Want to be a part of a great organization that's full of driven chefs and other exceptional restaurant professionals? Well, now is the time to join! The BCA is currently running its semi-annual membership drive, and we would love for you to reap the benefits of BCA membership.
Already a member? You can still help! (And win a special gift, too!)
Here of some of the benefits of becoming a BCA member during our drive:
- 20% off membership and a BCA t-shirt.
- Exclusive access to the online Career Center and corporate food service job banks.
- Discount rates to select BCA events.
- National networking opportunities with prominent chefs and industry professionals.
- Career coaching.
- And much more!
We need YOUR help to get the word out! If you know any fellow chefs, professionals, or students who may be interested in joining, please forward this link to them, and encourage them to join. Keep in mind that the person who refers the most new members will receive a special gift. (Oooo! Ahh!) All you need to do is tell the new member to mention your name during sign-up. We truly appreciate your help!
The drive will continue through July 9th, so help us get the word out today, and don't forget to mention the 20% membership discount for signing up during the drive!
Please click herefor all of the details and to sign-up.
Also, members, be sure to check out the Membership Directory and Bulletin Board...Connect, network, share recipes and tips and more with your fellow members!
If you are interested in joining our new MEMBERSHIP committee or any of other committees, please contact membership@bcaglobal.org.
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Featured Article
Help the BCA expand our organization!
Check out our featured article on what we have to offer, and how YOU can help the BCA grow.
Please forward this e-mail to your friends, co-workers, and colleagues, and encourage them to become a BCA member today!
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Keep
an eye out for updates on our upcoming summer contests on
Youtube and
Flickr!
Will YOU be the the BCA's Next
Top Chef? |
CLICK HERE
to see our featured
Hot Job of the Month!
Executive Chef
Philadelphia, PA
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Want to check out our past newsletter? Click here for a link to our newsletter archive.
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Don't forget to check out our Online Job Board
to help you find new job listings in the culinary industry all over the country!
New Member Feature: All new job postings will be available to MEMBERS ONLY for the first 14 days...Join today to get quick access to the latest job postings in your area!
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Industry Insights
One of the most important points
the BCA focuses on is 'Career Building'. It is a standard by which we select our
industry partners, supporters, sponsors and board members to insure we all
remain connected to the BCA mission and the
future professionals we support.
Every waking moment is an opportunity to build upon your future, to collect as
many tools as possible toward the career of your choice. Some of us know exactly
where we want to go but occasionally reality has a way of making us humble. In
either case we should always have a 'Plan B' to fall back on, sometimes a 'Plan
C & D' too.
In the Culinary/Foodservice and
Hospitality Industry, there are many typical
positions and opportunities for
culinary graduates. Generally speaking, most
gravitate toward hotels,
restaurants, healthcare facilities, cruise ships, corporate headquarters, educational
facilities (K-12, colleges and universities), casinos, convention centers, government
facilities, country clubs, media, etc. Television as well as executive positions with
a number of these employers are extremely difficult to obtain even with the
best credentials, but there are a number of opportunities behind the scenes
which require specialized skills. For instance, FoodNetwork, BCA's longtime sponsor
and supporter, utilize culinarians for all major support of food cooking
shows in areas such as food styling, recipe creation, food production and
photography, to name a few.
When you consider the tremendous
popularity the culinary profession has
experienced lately with an unequal
increase of available positions, career
building toward unorthodox careers
(compared to your typical choices) should be a strong consideration. There is
another world of opportunity available on the Foodservice Equipment Manufacturer
and Facility Design side of the industry which can utilize the talents and
skills of graduating and experienced culinarians. Tom Szafranski, President of FEG
Commercial and BCA Board Member agrees: "It is exciting to have a
source of young, professional talent to draw from when opportunities open up within our
collective professions. Students affiliated with the BCA have shown an interest in
the Foodservice industry in general and can apply their hands on
training/experience to add value in positions they may traditionally have been unaware of.
A good example of this would be trained executive chefs stepping into sales
positions with both manufacturers and Independent Rep Groups".
Most commercial equipment
manufacturers and their sales representative groups across the country have test
kitchens and executive/traveling chefs they use for training clients, equipment
demonstrations and sales, and are instrumental in equipment and recipe development.
What better way to show a client/chef how a piece of equipment works for a
particular product then a chef that understands the client's needs?
Foodservice Facility Design is
another great career opportunity. As a Foodservice Facility
Consultant/Designer, I work with and design commercial
kitchens for clients and their
executive chefs. Though I have no formal training as a chef, I have gained a
tremendous amount of knowledge and understanding of how chefs operate - no two chefs
are alike, thus neither are their kitchens. The skills a culinary professional
brings to the table and develops over time is a tremendous asset as a kitchen
designer. A number of chefs have become amazing designers.
These are only a few of the many
cross-over careers available to future
professionals. BCA is also in the
process of developing career path programs with a number of our partners for
existing and future positions. So as you continue to develop your career
path, consider taking the path less traveled. The BCA is about creating careers,
building a path toward a long future in this industry - not just a job. Our
industry partners, supporters, sponsors and board members are here to help. |
Member Bonus: Free Advertising!
Tell us what you and your business or place of employment have done to 'go green', and you may win a FREE advertising block in our next newsletter!
Send you information to Hope at info@bcaglobal.org with 'Going Green for Advertising' in the subject line by Wednesday, July 14, 2010.
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Member of the Month: Tim Pitts
 How did you first learn about and get involved with the BCA?From Jason Wallace, my
former instructor at the Art Institute of NYC. In your eyes, what is the value of BCA
membership? A wealth of knowledge and networking.
Also I get to mentor and assist future chefs in their quest for a career in hospitality.
What was the last memorable meal you enjoyed?I love eating at a restaurant called
Houston's. The food is excellent. I don't eat pork but everything on the
menu is great!
Where do you work and what is your title? If you
have your own business as well, we would love to know more about it as well.
I work for Sodexo, currently at
Brookdale Med Ctr in Brooklyn and I'm the Executive Chef. I don't have my
own business yet. I
currently do consulting work for a restaurant in my hometown of
Freeport call Retro Lounge & Grill. Also I'm working on a project
to own a restaurant/banquet hall located in North Carolina. I intend to
keep BCA closely informed on this one. How long have you been in the industry?Approximately 10yrs What's next for you- personally, career,
community etc?Like I said above, I'm working on getting my own
restaurant in North Carolina; also become a certified executive chef with
the ACF. With regards to community, currently I'm a firefighter in my
community, protecting life, property and community (in that order). Once I get
my restaurant up and running, I would like to work with at risk kids
and train and prepare them for a career in the hospitality industry. Work
with local farmers and ranchers to have sustainable products on my plate
and have a greener foot
print on this community and earth. If you would like to contact Mr. Pitts, he may be reached at tcp@cyberbuilding.com.
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Coming Soon!
Keep an eye out for our upcoming
RSS feed from the job board. Have the new jobs come to you!
Also, stay posted for news on our Fall events! |
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Save 20%
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off of new membership if you sign-up during our summer membership drive! Hurry...the drive ends on July 9th! Click here to learn more! Offer includes free t-shirt!
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Offer Expires: July 9, 2010. 
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