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Webb and B&P Grads Take the (Anniversary) Cake

Amber, Tuesday, August 10th, 2010 | Category: Alumni, Around Town, Inside Kendall | Permalink | Email this
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When the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) held its 2010 National Leadership Conference at Kendall College in July, pastry chef and instructor Erika Webb wanted to do something extraordinary to celebrate the organization’s 65th anniversary. Naturally, she baked a cake.

But not alone, and not just any cake. The “cake” that Webb and recent Kendall baking-and-pastry-arts graduates constructed consisted of three tiers of Styrofoam with a base of 3 by 1 feet. The middle tier was just more than 2 by 1 feet, and the top tier was about 18 inches by 1 foot. A 1-foot-plus gumpaste cake topper crowned the “confection.” Once completed, the creation, frosted in the official FCCLA colors of red, black and white, was so heavy it had to be transported on a flatbed cart.

“We worked on it for nine days,” Webb says. “I had never worked on something this large, and we had to account for decorative mishaps due to humidity. But all told, it was a decent first effort. My student helpers—all recent graduates—were really great. They helped with icing the cake, fondant work and gumpaste flowers and designs.”

But what did the 3,000 FCCLA guests eat at the anniversary celebration at McCormick Place? Webb came to the rescue with pre-sliced sheet cakes. So everyone got to have his or her cake. And eat it, too!

Kendall College 75th Anniversary Dinner raises over $50,000 for the Kendall College Charitable Trust Scholarship Fund

Amber, Thursday, July 15th, 2010 | Category: Alumni, Featured, Inside Kendall | Permalink | Email this
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On April 29, Kendall College hosted Diamond Dreams: Celebrating 75 Years of Kendall College, a dining event benefiting the Kendall College Charitable Trust (KCCT), a not-for-profit organization that provides financial support to Kendall students in need. More than $50,000 was raised at the event for scholarships, which included a donation of $2,000 from the Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs Foundation.

With Kendall hospitality students on hand to help with event proceedings, the evening started with a welcome reception and silent auction. An ice sculpture adorning the room was crafted by Kendall culinary students, and appetizers and cocktails were prepared by Kendall’s alumni chef instructors. The attendees then broke off into three different rooms for private dining experiences with special guest chefs. Desserts were prepared by Kendall baking and pastry students.

Guest chefs included Kendall alumni from notable Chicago restaurants, including Jose Garces of Mercat a la Planxa and winner of the Food Network’s “The Next Iron Chef;” Christian Eckmann of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises; Bill Kim of UrbanBelly; Timothy R. Cottini of Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba; and Kristine F. Subido of Wave at the W Hotel Chicago. Ryan Pitts of RL Restaurant also participated. Culinary students at Kendall College had the opportunity to support the guest and alumni chefs in the kitchens.

The event brought together many leaders from Kendall College’s 75-year history including Thomas Kerr, former president; Raymond Geraldson and Penny Brown, former board chairs; Christian DeVos, former dean and trustee; Dr. Karen Gersten, provost and interim president; Dr. Lynn Eramo, former trustee; Ira E. Graham, past board member; David Kipley, current board member and Paula Singer, board chair and president of Laureate Higher Education Group, a division of Kendall’s parent company Laureate Education.

Click here for more information about the Kendall College Charitable Trust.

New Website for Kendall Alumni

admin, Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 | Category: Alumni, Featured | Permalink | Email this
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Kendall College Alumni Association is pleased to announce the launch of our new website

The Kendall College Alumni Association serves to enrich the lives of our alumni by providing educational, social and charitable opportunities for our graduates. Within alumni.kendall.edu, you can:

  • Renew old friendships
  • Establish new connections
  • Expand your professional network
  • Learn about upcoming news and events for alumni
  • Make a difference for tomorrow’s graduates

Your Own Login

Reconnecting is the first step. You will need to log-in to access the members only features located in the “Alumni Community” section. Your login has already been created and if we have your email on file, has been emailed to you. Please contact Randi Bergey if you need to find out your Alumni site login.

As a graduate, you are already a valuable member of our organization. The next step is to become an active participant in what we hope will be a life-long partnership! We hope you will share your stories and come to the Kendall Alumni web site often!

Kendall Alum Jose Garces Is the Sixth Iron Chef

Amber, Friday, December 4th, 2009 | Category: Alumni, Featured | Permalink | Email this
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“The Next Iron Chef” is … Jose Garces! On Nov. 22, Garces, a 1996 graduate of Kendall College’s School of Culinary Arts, beat out Jehangir Mehta in a head-to-head battle to take home the world’s most coveted culinary title.

Garces was selected as the Sixth Iron Chef by existing Iron Chefs Bobby Flay, Masaharu Morimoto and Michael Symon, along with series judges Donatella Arpaia (acclaimed restaurateur, food expert and owner of Anthos, Mia Dona and Kefi), Jeffrey Steingarten (food critic, Vogue magazine) and Anya Fernald (sustainable food consultant), who served as judges throughout “The Next Iron Chef.” As executive chef and owner of Amada, Tinto, Distrito, Chifa and Village Whiskey in Philadelphia and  executive chef at Mercat a la Planxa in Chicago, Garces has spent years perfecting different cuisines in top-rated restaurants and is now well known for his signature Latin cooking style. Since 2005, the Chicago native has opened six restaurants, authored Latin Evolution (Lake Isle Press, 2008) and won the 2009 ”Best Chef Mid-Atlantic” award from the James Beard Foundation.

Studying culinary arts at Kendall College was excellent training for a young chef, says Garces. “Lots of discipline, which is kind of the opposite of family cooking. ‘A pinch of this, a touch of that’ becomes exact measurements that you’d better follow if you want to get it right!”

(more…)

Kendall Announces New Director of Alumni Affairs

Amber, Thursday, May 21st, 2009 | Category: Alumni, Inside Kendall | Permalink | Email this
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Randi J. Bergey has been appointed the new Director of Alumni Affairs at Kendall. Randi recognizes that Kendall alumni are a very valuable resource and looks forward to nurturing lifelong relationships with our graduates. (more…)
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