Building for the Future

By Michael Ty, CEC, AAC

I would like to dedicate this month’s message to our young culinarians who are developing their skills as they pursue a career in the culinary profession. I have heard over and over that you are the future, not only of our federation, but of our profession.

If this is true, then what does it take to earn your commitment to be part of the premier chefs organization? I truly believe it is a two-way partnership, and we have worked diligently these past 18 months to give you opportunities.

Recently, I developed a mentorship program, and I want to thank American Academy of Chefs chair Thomas Macrina, CEC, CCA, HGT, AAC, for championing it. The mission of the ACF mentorship program, Sharing Culinary Traditions, is to provide student culinarians with an opportunity to meet professional chefs in our organization who are willing to share their knowledge and life experiences and give advice to assist young culinarians on their path to a successful career.

As I have mentioned many times, mentors were vital to the success of my career as I developed my culinary and professional skills, and I urge both chefs and students to take part in this wonderful opportunity. For information, visit www.acfchefs.org/Mentorship.

Michael Ty, center, meets with members of the Société Culinaire Philanthropique in New York in January, left to right: Arno Schmidt, CEC, ICA-ACF Big Apple Chapter chairman of the board; Jean-Claude Blazy, president, Société Culinaire Philanthropique; Jean-Pierre Stoehr, past president, Société Culinaire Philanthropique; and Thomas Smyth, competition chair, Société Culinaire Philanthropique. The Société Culinaire Philanthropique, founded in 1865, joined the Chefs de Cuisine Association of America and the Vatel Club to found the American Culinary Federation in 1929. The Salon of Culinary Art, organized by the Société Culinaire Philanthropique, is presented each year during the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show in New York.

But there is more. Last year, we offered the Be Like “Mike” Contest, which gave an ACF student culinarian the opportunity to shadow me during the national convention. Because of the successful experience of last year’s student culinarian winner, we are happy to offer the second annual Be Like “Mike” Contest.

Last year’s winner, Trisha LeBlanc, did an outstanding job assisting me during the national convention. You can read her article about that experience, “Get Involved, Get Connected,” on pages 32–33 in the winter 2010 edition of Sizzle and on the website at www.acfchefs.org/belikemike.

The process to apply for Be Like “Mike” is simple, and has not changed much from last year. But I want to caution you to read the rules and regulations carefully and provide the information requested. Many of last year’s candidates did not qualify because they did not provide what was asked of them, especially in the essay.

Another opportunity for the upcoming national convention is the inaugural Student Culinarian Invitational. This event will be held Saturday, July 23, 2011, at the Gaylord Texan, Dallas. Five student teams, with mentors, will be invited to prepare menu items from their regions to be served to delegates and guests at the national convention. For those of you who have attended Certified Master Chef events at previous national conventions, this will be a similar format. It is a standalone event, and we will be selling tickets at a reasonable price. All proceeds from ticket sales will be earmarked to send student culinarians on the five Student Culinarian Invitational teams to the WACS Congress in Daejeon, South Korea, May 1–5, 2012.

The Student Culinarian Invitational requires a commitment from all those involved. It takes a team effort to be successful in being chosen as one of the five teams. Teams need chapter endorsement, which includes financial support. And mentors will need to guide teams through the application process and prepare them for a culinary experience in Dallas.

Teams chosen will receive full student registration to the convention and double-room occupancy at the Gaylord Texan. You must be an ACF member by March 31, 2011, to be eligible to apply. For further qualifications and more information, visit www.acfchefs.org/studentculinarianinvitational. There are specific age criteria to go to the WACS Congress; however, the WACS age criteria does not preclude a student from being on a team to prepare food at the national convention.

Why are we offering all these opportunities to our future chefs? It is because we need to develop and nurture future leaders in our profession. In addition, these programs provide an opportunity for chefs to share their life experiences and skills with students. That is what mentoring is all about.

To our young culinarians, I want to share this with you: Whether you are in the kitchen, going to culinary school, part of an apprenticeship program and/or participating in a culinary event, networking can be the beginning of a mentorship that will take you far in your career. Use the opportunities I have talked about here to build your future in whatever part of the foodservice profession you decide to pursue.

I wish all of you success. Get involved, and promote this great profession of ours.