Micro-Blog from Christopher Blice

Relationship Building with your classmates, instructors, peers is creating solid, healthy connections.  Building relationships start very early in life, by the time you enter into this world, relationships begin.  Born in 1957, relationship building was so different than it is today.  There was no internet social media, and mobile phones had not even been thought of.  Relationships were formed from face to face interactions and other physical manifestations of a greeting.

Building, then keeping the relationship begins to build a solid network of colleagues, and friends alike.  Respect for others, goes a long way.  One wise man once told me, “be careful whose toes you step on today, tomorrow you may be kissing their butt”.  This is so true in life, you may offend someone today,  and tomorrow they may be your boss, or you may need them  for a reference, whatever the case, it is crucial to show  everyone respect regardless of what your personal opinion is.

Following simple fundamentals such as honesty and respect, this will take you as far in life as you wish to go.  Giving back, paying it forward, whatever you wish to call it, giving back to society is important.  Giving back does not necessarily mean monetary.  Give your time, your knowledge, or whatever strength you may have that can be shared with others, even a simple “thank you” goes a long way with most.  It builds character, self esteem, not only in you but also for those around you.

Treat others the way you want to be treated and you will be amazed at the relationships that are built on simple fundamentals, such as dignity, honesty, respect but most of all humility.

Christopher Blice
TCA Pastry Arts 2012

Micro-Blog from Rodeny Franklin

Even Me

I have been on the Honor Roll almost every term; there was one term where I missed it by only one point. To see your name on the Honor Roll list in the glass case on the wall means so much to a lot of students. I have moved things around in my life to accommodate going to school.  I do not want to miss even one day, so I can once again get my name on the wall. Even though I have had to rearrange things in my life to do this, there are times when I have had to ask for help. I am taking a class right now that has been kicking my butt and I had to ask for help. There is no shame in asking for help, not even for me.

-Rodney Franklin
Student Advisory Board members

Micro blog from student Leisa Maddox

An Act of Kindness, A Moment of Your Time CAN Change a Person’s Life!

While debating on whether to enroll in The Chef’s Academy, I stopped to ask a student her opinion of the school. This person took a moment of her time (well, more like 20 minutes), to tell me how much she loved the school and that it was a great choice she made! She also offered her assistance to me while attending school! If it had not been for her taking a bit of her time out for me, I do not know if I would be here in school today. She is my mentor and I am very grateful for her! So, do know that your kindness and consideration of others can change a person’s life! Thank you Faye for your kindness, support and friendship!

-Leisa Maddox,
2nd term student and Student Advisory Board member

Micro-blog from student Austin Davis

If you guys don’t know me by now my name is Austin Davis. I am in the wonderful HRM (Hospitality/Restaurant Management) program and I enjoy every second of it thanks to my fantastic class mates as well as Ms. Jokima and Ms. Gwen. If you ever see me in the halls feel free to talk to me about anything you would like. So on February 20^th I turned 19, granted it’s not 18 or 21, but it’s still another year that I was able to be alive. I didn’t do a whole lot for my birthday, no extravagant parties or anything I just hung out with family and friends. I will say, however, the best part was on Saturday night I went cosmic bowling with my father, step mother, half sister, brother, soon to be sister-in-law, my roommate Forrest, and my girl friend, and they counted down to my birthday over the intercom and it made me feel really special. I also felt a lot of love from everyone who sent me birthday wishes on Facebook. To all those who are reading this, I would just like to thank you for being apart of a wonderful school, I truly do love The Chef’s Academy and I am glad I made the choice to attend. Hopefully I will see some of you in the hallways!

New Awards to be awarded at student meetings!

After much consideration of student, faculty and staff recommendations, we decided to change the format of the student meetings to more of an awards ceremony. We will still have some announcements to make, but the rest of the meeting will be a party. We’ll have music and we’ll celebrate everyone’s accomplishments. Oh, and we’ll do some dancing too, if you’re up to the challenge.

With the new format, we needed more awards. So here they are:

Student of the Term* will still be awarded at each meeting. This award will go to the student who shows common courtesies and respect to everyone, goes above and beyond the call of duty, helps other students without asking for something in return, is conscientious and perseveres, has good attendance, is friendly and outgoing and is highly regarded by his/her peers, and is someone who is a good representation of TCA. Nominations will come from faculty and staff. Peer nominations will be considered and can be submitted at the front desk.

Life Skills Awards* will be awarded at each meeting. These awards will go to any student who has completed 8 out of the 10 Life Skills classes. The Life Skills classes will run on a rotation. So, for example, if Stress Management is offered Week 1 next term, it will be offered Week 1 the following term. So if you miss a couple, you have plenty of time to make them up. Echoing Chef Reed’s comments at the student meetings, the chefs, managers and owners you respect here at TCA and out in the community work daily on their life skills. These are necessary for your advancement in this industry. Oh, and these cost you NOTHING!

Best Dressed Award* will be awarded at each meeting. This award will go to the student who is always in uniform and professionally represents The Chef’s Academy at all times. Nominations will come from the faculty. Peer nominations will be considered and can be submitted at the front desk.

Best Attendance Award* will be awarded at each meeting. This award will go to the cohort that has the best attendance as a class. Results will be based on students in a kitchen lab (for culinary and pastry) and an HRM class for HRM, and attendance will be calculated for all courses each student has. Nominations will come from the Education Department.

TCA Volunteer will be offered to one student each term. This award will go to the student who volunteers the most time and is most helpful at TCA events. Events/Hours completed must be signed off by person(s) responsible for the event. Volunteer forms can be found at the front desk. Nominations will be self-written and submitted to the front desk.

Community Service Award will be offered to one student each term. This award will go to the student who makes the biggest or most creative difference in his or her community. Service/Hours completed must be signed off by person(s) responsible for the event/organization. Community Service forms can be found at the front desk. Nominations will be self-written and submitted to the front desk. The winner will be voted on the following criteria: # of hours completed and creativity in service. Serving others is part of this industry. This one should be easy for most.

TCA Social Media Enthusiast Award will be offered to one student each term. This award will go to the student who most/best promotes The Chef’s Academy on the web (Facebook, Twitter, etc). Nominations will come from Joe Trinosky.

Mr. Clean Award will be offered to one cohort each term. This award will go to the cohort that is the most sanitary and follows ServSafe guidelines. Nominations will come from Chef Trinosky.

Please remember that we will not offer an award just to offer the award. If no student or class is deserving of the award, we will not offer it that term.

* Meeting shifts are as follows:

Morning meeting – 6:30am, 9:45am & day HRM shifts

Evening meeting – 1:00pm, 5:20pm & night HRM shifts

Weekend meeting – all weekend shifts

Top Teen Talent Scholarship Competition

Dream. Explore. Discover

Is your dream to be a chef? Do you have passion for food? How about a passion to be in the kitchen? The Chef’s Academy wants to help fulfill your passion!

Take an exploration through your favorite recipes and make it your own. The Chef’s Academy is offering 15 participants help with their dreams of being part of something. The Top Teen Talent Scholarship Competition is for current high school junior and senior grade level students.  It’s simple. Fill out the application on The Chef’s Academy Web site to enter. To start, all you need is your best recipe, a picture of it completed and a short essay. You can also download the application directly from the Facebook fan page.

Make sure your applications are in by Friday, February 4, 2011, and don’t forget to tell all your friends and family what you’re doing. The awesome thing about this scholarship is that your friends and family can help!

The two-part competition will make use of The Chef’s Academy’s social media presence as well as its brick-and-mortar kitchens. In phase one, applicant’s submitted recipes as well as an original photo of the dish will be displayed on The Chef’s Academy Official Facebook fan page, where fans of The Chef’s Academy can vote for their favorite. All voting will end promptly at Midnight on February 25, 2011.  The top Fifteen (15) Official Entry’s in terms of Votes garnered will advance to the Second Phase of the competition.  The Chef’s Academy will begin contacting the Fifteen (15) Finalists on or around February 28, 2011. 

In Phase Two, selected fan favorites will compete in the Cook-Off Competition held in Indianapolis, Indiana at The Chef’s Academy on March 19, 2011. The selected finalists will prepare a menu issued in advance by The Chef’s Academy.

The Finalists will scored by a Judges Panel, consisting of professional chefs will evaluate and score each Finalist on their technical skills based on the following criteria:  Knife skills, safety and sanitation, mise en place, cooking techniques, and clean up.  Scores in these areas will comprise fifty percent (50%) of the Finalists total score.  The remaining fifty percent (50%) of the Finalists score will be based on the judges’ scores for taste and flavor, texture and doneness, portion size, temperature, presentation and knife skills exam.  All decisions by the judges are final, binding and non-disputable.

The First Place winner of Phase Two of The Chef’s Academy Top Teen Talent Competition will receive a full-tuition scholarship* to The Chef’s Academy.  The Second Place winner will receive a $5,000 scholarship to The Chef’s Academy.  The remaining 13 finalists will each receive a $1000 scholarship to The Chef’s Academy. 

The Chef’s Academy is more than just a Culinary Institute; it’s a place to discover your skill and empower your passion.

What are you waiting for?

*In the event that you are offered a scholarship of any amount, the scholarship awards are contingent on acceptance to The Chef’s Academy and tuition scholarships are awarded evenly over each term throughout the given program. Scholarships awarded are for the one (1) declared program that a student has upon entry to The Chef’s Academy. The tuition scholarship covers academic tuition and may not be applied against fees, housing, living expenses, or program supplies and may not be transferred. In the event that the scholarship recipient’s education is terminated, either by the school or by the student, the scholarship becomes null and void.  Scholarship recipients must maintain a 2.75 GPA or higher during his/her studies at The Chef’s Academy to continue to receive said scholarship. A GPA of less than 2.75 will result in the forfeiture of any remaining balance on the scholarship. http://www.thechefsacademy.com

Breaking Ground

Breaking ground on your first day of work for most is learning your way around the office.  When I look back to breaking ground my first week of work at my new job, I'm going to have the most colorful story to tell.  

I started my job at The Chef's Academy Morrisville, NC Campus on November 29, 2010, the day before the official ground breaking!  Talk about exciting.  Wihin thirty-five minutes of my first day I was at the airport picking up Chef Tony Hanslits and meeting Chef Jeffrey Bane and off to a meeting on my own with MMI Public Relations Agency in Cary, NC.

The most exciting part though, was the day of the official ground breaking.  Not only was I surrounded by the delicious aroma of the pork tenderloin and chicken satay on the grill, but I was among a crowd of chefs, executives, elected officials, including Secretary of Commerce Keith Crisco and Morrisville Mayor Jackie Holcombe and community members that were also excited to be there.  Everything went right, as it should have, the turnout was unbelievable, the food was a success and the speeches hit home to all guests.  

It is important to see where The Chef's Academy comes from and what they stand for; to hear the speeches and learn more about who we [The Chef's Academy] are, and how the community perceives us, was exciting, rewarding, and encouraging.  Exciting because I know I am going to be a part of this schools from the beginning here in North Carolina, rewarding because I was able to see the respect and enthusiasm that The Chef's Academy and Harrison College receive from the community, and encouraging because it made me want to encourage other people to be involved and able to be a part of this awesome experience.

The ground breaking was a HUGE success.  My first week was fast pace and full of excitement.  The ground breaking ceremony could not have gone better.  It not only marked the beginning of the new The Chef's Academy existence in North Carolina, but also the start of something new for a lot of people and their families around the Triangle and at the Indiana campus.