Missing from the great food debate: sustainability. Why it matters.

Missing from the great food debate: sustainability. Why it matters.

By Christopher Koetke, CEC, CHE, MBA Dean, Kendall College School of Culinary Arts Vice President, Laureate International Universities Center of Excellence in Culinary Arts My great passion is food. It’s something I share with billions of people worldwide. Whether the pinnacle of fine cuisine, tonight’s family dinner, or an on-the-go meal, we all want our food to be safe to eat. So, while I am glad leaders in the U.S. are taking a close look at how we can continue to find ways to ensure the ... read more

The Kendall Senior Integrative Project

Amber, March 29th, 2012 | Category: Featured, Inside Kendall | Permalink | Email this

By School of Business student Thomas J. Moquet

On March 16, Kendall College seniors from the hospitality, culinary and business programs came together to exhibit our hard work as we held a tradeshow and presented our final pitches for Kendall’s Capstone project. It all started in October of last year when we were told that our project would be to conceptualize and plan the development of a new hotel in downtown Chicago. The site was at 111 W Wacker, right on the Chicago River where building had begun in 2008 for the Shangri La Hotel. Apart from being informed it was compulsory to have three operations within the plan (hotel, retail and a restaurant), we were left to decide on the exact details of our concept.

We were put in teams of five or six with representatives from each school to add our individual expertise to the overall project. I was fortunate enough to be put in a fantastic group that had a strong multi-cultural leaning including students from the US, UK, Mexico, Spain and China. Our team name “International Icons” was very apt! Over the first 10 weeks of the course we covered a wide range of topics and guest speakers from building development, building management, marketing, finance and culinary. Using these tools and resources we began to build our concept and brand in preparation for the final part of the project.

In the final half of the course we had to develop extensive marketing, finance, operations and culinary plans which were used to compile the final report, which for most teams meant a hundred page business plan. The final day was an amazing experience and an ideal opportunity for all the teams to exhibit the skill sets that we had developed during our time as Kendall students. My team was fortunate enough to win two awards for best business plan and for best culinary presentation which legitimized all the hard work and effort we had put in. It was a refreshing experience to be given so much freedom and scope to create a complete business and use the creativity and passion we all share to make the project a success.

Chaîne des Rôtisseurs™ Dinner Benefited the Kendall College Charitable Trust

Amber, March 20th, 2012 | Category: Featured, Inside Kendall | Permalink | Email this
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On March 12, the Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs™ Bailliage de Chicago held a fundraising dinner in The Dining Room at Kendall College showcasing the culinary capabilities of School of Culinary Arts students and featuring a selection of the finest wines from several Chicago Chaîne members’ personal cellars.  60 guests attended and $35,000 was raised with all proceeds from the dinner benefiting the Kendall College Charitable Trust for student scholarships.

Students preparing the five-course dinner were directed and coached by Kendall chef-instructors Pierre Pollin and Chaîne member Marc Magiera.  Additionally, Craig Schoettler, executive chef at Grant Achatz’ The Aviary and a recent nominee for Beverage Professional of the Year by the Chicago Tribune, prepared special cocktails for the reception.

Chaîne member Chris Koetke, vice president of the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts, and Chaîne members of the Kendall College Charitable Trust Chevalier Allen Kutchins and Maître de Table Restaurateur Al Capitanini were on hand at the event.

The Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, headquartered in France, is the oldest and largest food and wine society in the world. The chapter in the United States is now in its 52nd year with approximately 6,000 gourmands, gourmets, chefs, restaurateurs, hoteliers, oenologists, winery owners, sommeliers and others interested in the finest of dining and life experiences and enjoying the camaraderie of friends at dinners and events.

Business Class Raises more than $500 for Children’s Memorial Hospital Foundation

Amber, March 20th, 2012 | Category: Around Town, Featured, Inside Kendall | Permalink | Email this
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By School of Business student Marissa Ochoa

Do you ever wonder what it takes to lead a project, manage a team and plan an event? BUS-250 Project Management offers the proper guidelines and knowledge to help students successfully do just that! As a class, we were assigned a group fundraiser project of our choice, with a goal to raise $100 minimum. Seven of us endeavored to take on this project to help support a good cause. As the “Big Helping Hearts” team we wanted to exceed that goal.

We chose the Children’s Memorial Hospital Foundation in honor of  and to support one of our team members and all children in need of pediatric medical research. The last week of February a cookie sale was held at Kendall College with a great effort by all our team members and supporters. A big thank you to all our donors who helped us raise $557. We are very grateful and pleased with the outcome of our class project. We learned a lot while having fun, working as a team and benefiting a great cause!

Alumnus Competes in Bakery World Cup

Amber, March 16th, 2012 | Category: Alumni, Around Town, Featured | Permalink | Email this
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He’s been called an artisanal bread god, but Kendall College alumnus Mike Zakowski, (A.A.S., Culinary Arts, 1994) the owner of The Bejkr in Sonoma, Calif., says he just likes making bread. He may be humble, but that didn’t keep him from competing in March with two other teammates at the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie at the Europain exposition in France—otherwise known as the Bakery World Cup.

What’s more? Team USA won the second place prize. The competition featured 36 candidates from 12 countries. Zakowski’s team prepared for three years, training at locations across the United States sponsored by the Bread Bakers Guild of America. One of those training locations was Kendall College back in December.

In the eight-hour competition, Zakowski’s team produced items based on four specialties: baguettes, Viennese pastries, savory presentations and an artistic piece. “Each team member has a different specialty, but I had to prepare seven types of bread in eight hours,” he says.

“Ultimately, I was evaluated on weight, length, volume, texture, appearance, crumb structure, taste, cleanliness and finishing on time—which is a challenge,” Zakowski continues. “Kendall helped prepare me. My education taught me to constantly elevate my skill sets.”

New Leadership on the School of Business Senior Advisory Board

Amber, February 20th, 2012 | Category: Featured, Inside Kendall | Permalink | Email this
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A goal of the Kendall College School of Business is to generate graduates who are professionally savvy, globally driven, and services oriented. One way we can help accomplish this is by turning to business leaders to help shape our curriculum and keep current with the ever-changing business climate. In the School of Business, we have established a talented group of Senior Advisory Board (SAB) members who help us do just that. These individuals are senior executives and consultants from the Chicagoland area with successful careers in various fields including advertising, banking, foodservice management, health care, and more.

We are proud to announce that Ms. Gaye van de Hombergh will serve as Chair and Mr. Noel Hara will serve as Vice Chair of this year’s Senior Advisory Board. A previous member of the Senior Advisory Board taking on this new position, Van den Hombergh has worked for several prominent businesses, serving as president of Winning Workplaces; Midwest region president of Vistage International, the world’s leading CEO organization; president and managing director of The Johnsson Group, a financial consulting firm serving Fortune 500 clients, among other positions. Her passion is working with small- to mid-sized businesses eager to move to the next level, and her expertise lies in leadership, strategy, business-to-business marketing and strategic selling.

Serving as business development director of the new Chicago office of SALO Project, Hara draws on his experience as a consultant with a global firm and a regional sales lead in a Fortune 500 company. Recognized as an industry leader, he has been published in trade magazines and is a highly sought after public speaker and panelist for numerous industry events. Hara previously served on the School of Business Junior Advisory Board.

We are thrilled to have incredibly talented and successful business men and women as part of our Senior Advisory Board. Their contribution to the overall education of our students is immeasurable and we look forward to their ideas and insight in 2012 and beyond.

Click here to view the entire list of Senior Advisory Board members and their bios.
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