| 10th Annual Beaujolais & Beyond Festival :A Flying Success! |
 The 10th Annual Beaujolais & Beyond Festival took place on Thursday, November 20 at the Mile High Station in Denver. Over 500 people attended and enjoyed food from 2 5 of Colorado's finest chefs, 41 French wines, aerial performances from Aerial Dance Over Denver and live music from Georgann Low & Trio Nuage. In addition there was an extensive silent auction and a culinary competition. The competition was split between a judges choice and a people's choice.
Congratulations to the winners :
Judges Award:
Best Appetizer = Cade Nagy - Catering by Design
Best Entree= Said Benjelloun - Palais Casablanca Authentic Moroccan Cuisine
Best Dessert = Eric Phillips - Ameristar Casino
People's Choice Award:
Best Appetizer = Jean-Luc Voegele - Westin Tabor Center
Best Entree= Cade Nagy - Catering by Design
Best Dessert = Katherine Keeley-Pappas - Katherine's French Bakery
 Mark your calendar for next year's event Thursday, November 19, 2009 at the Mile High Station!
If you enjoyed attending the Beaujolais Festival this year, we would love to hear from you! Please take a moment to share your favorite moments from the festival by clicking here.
All the photos from the Festival will be available on our website by mid of December. We'll keep you posted. |
| Member Company Profile: Dynamic Materials Corporation |
|
Based in Boulder, Colo., Dynamic Materials Corporation is an international metalworking company and the world's leading provider of explosion-welded clad metal plates. The Company uses proprietary explosive processes to fuse various metals that, in many cases, cannot be joined using traditional welding applications. These plates are utilized in the construction of pressure vessels, reactors, separators and other specialized industrial equipment.  This business segment, Explosive Metalworking, generates approximately 80 percent of the Company's revenue. It serves a wide variety of industries, including oil and gas refining, petrochemicals, alternative energy, hydrometallurgy, aluminum production, shipbuilding, power generation and industrial refrigeration. DMC operates explosion welding production facilities in Mt. Braddock, Penn.; Rivesaltes, France; Likenas, Sweden, and Wurgendorf, Germany.
DMC operates two additional business segments: Oilfield Products and AMK Welding. Based in Troisdorf, Germany, the Oilfield Products segment manufactures, markets and sells specialized explosive components and systems used to perforate oil and gas wells. AMK Welding is located in South Windsor, Conn., and utilizes various technologies to weld components for use in power-generation turbines, as well as commercial and military jet engines.
DMC has enjoyed several years of strong operational and financial growth. In fiscal 2007, the Company reported sales of $165.2 million, an increase of 46% over 2006.
President and CEO of DMC, Yvon Cariou was the winner of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year for the Rocky Mountain region (June 08). In addition, he was selected as a US finalist and runner up for the US Entrepreneur of the Year in Manufacturing & Distribution (Nov 2008).
 Contact:
|
|
| Upcoming Events |
|
 Euro Networking at the Christkindl Market
presented by the French-American, German-American and Swedish-American Chambers of Commerce
Thursday, December 11
6:00-8:00pm
Christkindl Market, Warming Tent
Skyline Park, Denver
Arapahoe Rd. between 15th & 16th Street Mall
Join us for a festive take on our Euro Networking events. Meet other internationally minded individuals while enjoying one of Denver's cherished traditions, the Christkindl Market.
$15 members, $20 non-members
Cost includes appetizers. Beer, Gluehwein (hot spiced wine),
hot cider, water, & soda will be available for purchase.
International Business & Rodeo Day
at the "Mexican Rodeo Extravaganza"
 January 10, 2009
5:00pm Reception
7:30pm Mexican Rodeo
$35 for FACC members, $45 non-members,
$30 children 3-11yrs.
 Your ticket includes:
-
A western-style buffet and complimentary drinks at a private reception in the National Western Club
-
A reserved seat at the Mexican Rodeo Extravaganza
-
Full-day access to the exhibition floors.
-
Special food and children's activities will be available for attendees bringing their families.
In honor of the 10th year of collaboration with the National Western Stock Show we timed our event to coincide with the spectacular Mexican Rodeo Extravaganza. Mexico has long been one of Colorado's top trading partners and we are pleased to showcase the Mexican Rodeo to the international business community. Filled with cultrual pageantry, the Mexican Rodeo Extravaganza features bull riders and bareback riders, trick roping, mariachi and the daring Paso de la Muetre or the "Death Jump". Jerry Diaz, a fourth-generation champion charro (a traditional Mexican cowboy) highlights the action-packed line up. The Mexican Rodeo Extravaganza sells our every year - sign up early so that you don't miss out!
For more information call 303-592-5760
|
| Enlightening Interviews: Michel Escoffier, VP of Fondation Auguste Escoffier |
|
Michel Escoffier was visiting Denver in November invited by the American Institute of Wine & Food. FACC volunteer Hilary Crawford had the opportunity to sit down with him during his visit for this exclusive interview.
 Background: Silver-haired and distinguished - Michel Escoffier is a man with whom any person would feel honored to sit down and spend an hour in the sunshine. He is the great-grandson of the culinary revolutionary and humanitarian, Auguste Escoffier. Among a lifetime of achievement, Auguste greatly improved working conditions in the kitchen, simplified French cuisine, created renowned dishes such as "Pêche Melba" and set with his friend, César Ritz, the standards still in use today in luxury hotels such as the Ritz in Paris and the Carlton in London. Read more about Auguste Escoffier here.
As his great-grandson, Michel spends much of his time sharing the legacy of Auguste with the world. Born in Paris in 1944, Michel lived and worked in many different countries in Europe and Africa. In Switzerland, Michel went to University, followed by his MBA in France. During this time, he continued to travel extensively throughout Europe and soon after, in 1970, began his career as a business development consultant. His work and many travels increased his interest in his great-grandfather and he began to truly appreciate the enormous contributions he had made to the culinary world. This led him to work on developing a multi-media, multi-lingual software that works as a teaching tool to culinary students. Today he is the Vice-President of the Fondation Auguste Escoffier and the Museum of Culinary Art that can be found in Auguste's birthplace, Villeneuve-Loubet. Additionally, he collaborates with various groups that bear his great-grandfather's name, such as Les Amis d'Escoffier and Les Dames d'Escoffier.
HC: In your own words, what did your grandfather do that was so revolutionary to cuisine?
ME: [There were] terrible working conditions [...] in those days where furnaces were working with coal and the heat was unbearable. [Auguste] wrote immediately that he would strive to be the best chef, but [also] would work all his life to improve working conditions in the kitchen. That led him [...] to the system of brigades which is still in use today. He did introduce ... not only organizational standards but also behavioral standards [such as banning] smoking, alcohol and swearing. He was a visionary: [He] wrote that he wanted to offer lighter dishes and a smaller menu [and] he [saw] how cooking, whilst remaining an art, would become more precise and scientific. He was also a humanist, always concerned with the well-being of the his employees. In 1903 he created the first mutual fund for chefs in London and used fund-raising dinners to finance and sustain it.
HC: Who or what were Auguste's main influences?
ME: He had great respect for [Marie-Antoine] Carême. Carême was still using a lot of unnecessary decoration on the plate. [Auguste's] motto was "make it simple": he simplified cuisine immensely. [Also, he didn't like that] many people were sitting around a table and dishes were brought out and you often did not have a chance to taste the dish that was far away from you [because of this] he introduced service à la russe, where the plate is prepared in the kitchen beforehand.
HC: What challenges have you faced in trying to sustain the legacy of Auguste through the fondation?
ME: The fondation, essentially sustained by a US-based trust fund, is facing a financial problem that the revenue from the trust is insufficient due to the fall of the dollar and now the collapse of the stock market. We are lacking about one third of our budget so we have to find it from outside. We are looking into potential cooperation with partners to develop our workshops and open them to amateurs as well.
HC: What kind of networking or collaboration do you see going on in your work?
ME: Besides workshops for professionals, the foundation also offeres conferences on various subjects. We also work closely with Les Amis d'Escoffier, Les Dames d'Escoffier, Les Disciples d'Auguste Escoffier around the world in countries that include Europe, Japan, China, and South Africa. We also work with a group of advisors, such as Michel Bourdin and have worked with Jacques Pépin and his daughter Claudine. [Not only that, but] we also have established special ties with leading culinary schools such as Tsuji, Culinary Institute of America, French Culinary, Johnson and Wales and many others
HC: The world of cuisine is much different today than it was during Auguste's time. Describe some of the differences.
ME: [You must] always keep by the same principals in cuisine. That goes for "nouvelle" and "fusion" cuisine as well as "molecular" cuisine, [which] is arguably debatable whether it is going to make a big impression in the years to come or if whether it is just a passing fashion or a game. [However,] I much more believe in the trend of young people being more concerned about eating good products from local farmers and producers.
|
| Members' Corner |
|
FACC Members Benefit from World Trade Center Member Pricing
The World Trade Center Denver is offering its member pricing to any FACC member who registers for a class and identifies themself as a member of the French American Chamber of Commerce. The member pricing offer will be good for Institute classes through the rest of 2008.
To see a full list of Institute classes offered click here.
Holiday Cooking Classes & Day Camps
Dec. 6, 10:00am to 1:00pm and Dec. 20, 1:00 - 4:00pm We will make traditional Holiday recipes such as Buche de Noel, Chocolate truffles, Salmon pate, etc.
December 22 & 23, 8:30am-3:00pm
Children will create their own presents in our arts and crafts classes with Betsy and will bake Holiday cooking with Marie such as the traditional Buche de Noel.
December 29 & 30, 8:30am-3:00pm
We will create jewelery for the Holidays with Valerie and we will cook festive dishes and desserts with Marie.
The classes and camps take place in Boulder at 1771 Arapahoe Street (NW corner of Arapahoe & 75th).
Check our website for more information: www.thelanguageoffood.com or call us: 303.819.4084
|
| Alliance Francaise Events |
|
Cine Club - Le Pere Noel est une ordure
 Tuesday, December 16, 7:00pmStarz FilmCenter, 900 Auraria Parkway
$7 includes film and reception
One of the most outrageous comic films to have been made in France in the 1980s, Le Père Noël est une ordure has since matured (as a fine wine might) into one of that country's most highly regarded cult classics.
 Early Registration for Winter Classes
Register by Monday, December 15th and receive a 10% discount off the price of tuition. Refer a new student and you each receive $15 off (referring student must have previously taken classes at the Alliance Française).
French Instruction Scholarship Program - 2009
Do you want to learn French at the Alliance Française de Denver but find that your budget does not allow it? In 2009, the Alliance Française de Denver will grant several French courses, free of charge, to the recipients of this scholarship program.
The application deadline is Monday, December 15th, 2008 at 5pm.
Click here for more details and to download the application.
|
The Rocky Mountain French-American Chamber of Commerce aims to promote the local French American business community as well as to support local French and American companies with their trade needs.
| |
