Carly DeFilippo

Master the Dessert Buffet with King of Pastry Philippe Rigollot

CRaux — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 21:32:05 +0000

Master the Dessert Buffet with King of Pastry Philippe Rigollot CRaux Fri, 02/23/2018 - 16:32 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/mink-mingle-185523-unsplash.jpg.webp?itok=5z7vCWgp February 27, 2018

By Carly DeFilippo

Carly was 91��߹'s social media and content manager from 2012 to 2016. She is a writer, lifestyle journalist and brand strategist in Brooklyn.

Fans of the documentary Kings of Pastry are likely well-acquainted with Philippe Rigollot, who heroically was named Meilleur Ouvrier de France despite the demise of his sugar showpiece during the final moments of the competition. Yet what fans may not know is that Philippe’s wife and business partner, Elodie, a chocolatier by background, is an integral part of his work at the couple’s local pastry shop in Annecy, France.

The pair first worked together at Maison Pic, the only three-Michelin-star restaurant in France that is owned by a woman. In anticipation of Philippe’s upcoming hands-on advanced pastry course at 91��߹, Dessert Buffet, we reached out to Elodie to learn more about the couple’s work.

You trained in France — what was your or Philippe’s training like?

Philippe trained in the traditional fashion — a pre-apprenticeship at the age of 15, followed by two years of apprenticeship and a Brevet de Maîtrise or “Master’s Certificate” which took an additional two years. In fact, Philippe won a regional medal for being the youngest apprentice to earn his certificate.

When did you decide you were interested in competitions, in particular the M.O.F.?

Having grown up around Paris, Philippe frequently passed by the windows of Lenôtre, where he dreamed of working one day. After earning his master’s certificate, he was successfully hired at Lenôtre, which also housed a school of professional development for pastry professionals, in which the majority of classes were taught by MOFs. It was through his introductions to the MOF that Philippe first started thinking about competitions, and in particular, his goal to become an MOF himself.

What advice would you have for students or working pastry chefs who want to compete?

To be a patissier is a profession based on passion, but also a profession that demands skill and precision. There is a proverb in France that says, “It’s through metal-working that one becomes a blacksmith.” To progress, you have to master the basics, train, familiarize yourself with your materials — in short, work as if every day is a day in the MOF competition.

How do you go about creating new flavors and recipes?

You have to be curious, enter into discussions with others, read…and gradually the ideas come to you. I experiment, I taste and I share those experiments with my spouse, my “right-hand man”.

What have been the biggest lessons you have learned opening your own business?

The most important lesson as a business owner has been that, no matter the level of skill of the person making an individual cake, it is important to ensure that throughout the year, all the cakes are created with the same level of precision and consistency. As for plated desserts, which are more unstructured, that is a different matter from the pre-made desserts sold in the boutique.

Space is limited — register today for Philippe’s advanced pastry course at 91��߹.

Interview Chefs Pastry Arts Chocolate

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Editorial Entrepreneur: 91��߹ Alum Ed Behr

ohoadmin — Mon, 13 Jun 2016 12:08:42 +0000

Editorial Entrepreneur: 91��߹ Alum Ed Behr ohoadmin Mon, 06/13/2016 - 08:08 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/makayla-ostapa-402455-unsplash_0.jpg.webp?itok=A8yPHCt7 June 13, 2016

By Carly DeFilippo

Carly was 91��߹'s social media and content manager from 2012 to 2016. She is a writer, lifestyle journalist and brand strategist in Brooklyn.

In 2014, Ed Behr earned one of the food industry’s most prestigious honors: an induction into the James Beard Foundation’s “Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America.” Over the past thirty years, he has grown his publication, The Art of Eating, from a simple newsletter into a respected quarterly journal.

Photo Credit: Natalie Stultz

For aspiring food media professionals, artisanal producers and culinary professionals inspired by the ethical and aesthetic questions of our time, Ed’s uncompromising vision and entrepreneurship stands as a model of excellence. We caught up with the publisher (and new cookbook author!) to learn more about his inspiring career path.

What were you doing before you enrolled at 91��߹? And what sparked your decision to attend culinary school?

I was working as a carpenter and builder, which I did for about a dozen years. I decided I wanted to open a restaurant, and to do that I felt I had to go to cooking school, not because I wanted to cook in the restaurant, but because I knew I didn’t know enough to recognize and hire a good chef. In the end, I never opened a restaurant. Since 1986, I’ve been writing about food and wine as the editor and publisher of The Art of Eating.

What accomplishments are you most proud of?

First and foremost, my book: 50 Foods. It represents ten years of work—though you could say 30 years, since it draws on everything I’ve ever learned about food. I aimed to produce a book of permanent value, one that would remain in print forever.

It’s a practical guide to deliciousness, one of only two or three books ever written about the broad connoisseurship of food. I’d like to think that anyone who loves food will feel they have to have it.

On a different plane, the most important thing I’ve done was to write the article “The Lost Taste of Pork: Finding a Place for the Iowa Family Farm.” It appeared in The Art of Eating in 1999, and it may have been the first article written for a non-agricultural audience about humane methods for raising pork. It was certainly the first to link methods, breed and taste—to explain each and how they are connected. I happened to choose the subject of pork without realizing where it would lead.

After Steve Ells, head of the Chipotle chain, read the article, he switched from buying conventional pork to buying humanely raised pork. In doing so, Chipotle provided the first major market for pig farmers—specifically Paul Willis and others selling through Niman Ranch—who were doing the right thing.

Last year the company bought 135 million pounds of naturally raised meat—pork, beef and chicken. I realize “naturally” is an imprecise word, but in this case it represents a huge leap forward from conventional practices. I’m proud to have inspired a few people to open idealistic food businesses and related projects. I’ve also given some good writers their first break in print.

Briefly describe a day in your current working life.

Like so many other people, I spend most of my time looking at a computer screen. I try—but rarely succeed—to devote the morning to my own writing. My days are a mix of editing, writing and emailing (writers, editors, photographers, illustrators and people who can help with research). Actual interviews, in which I might quote someone, I normally do over the phone or in person. Now and then I look up something in an ink-on-paper book, as most of what I want to know is still not anywhere online. I also spend a fair amount of time on the nuts and bolts of publishing.

What might people be surprised to learn about your job?

The unfortunate thing is that there isn’t that much time for cooking, although it’s part of the foundation of my work.

Where would you like to see yourself in five years?

Spending more time writing. I’ve promised to write two more books. They’re underway.

Click here to learn more about creative culinary careers outside the kitchen.

Food Media Sustainability

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Cooking for a Cause — 91��߹ Alum Pnina Peled

ohoadmin — Mon, 30 May 2016 12:56:26 +0000

Cooking for a Cause — 91��߹ Alum Pnina Peled ohoadmin Mon, 05/30/2016 - 08:56 What would it feel like to prepare a truly life-changing meal? Just ask 91��߹ Culinary Arts alum and hospital nutrition expert Pnina Peled. May 30, 2016

By Carly DeFilippo

Carly was 91��߹'s social media and content manager from 2012 to 2016. She is a writer, lifestyle journalist and brand strategist in Brooklyn.

As the senior executive chef at New York Presbyterian and the former executive chef at Memorial Sloan Kettering, Pnina has spearheaded the dramatic transformation of New York City’s hospital food over the past five years.

Before she was customizing nutrient-dense menus for sick patients — and even before she worked in some of NYC’s top kitchens — Pnina’s circumstances were just like the average 91��߹ student.

Raised by a family of restaurateurs, her weekend wake-up call was literally, “Time to make the donuts!” She dreamed of pursuing a career in medicine, but her family encouraged her to stay close to home, so she did and earned her college degree in business management.

Initially, Pnina made rent by working in the accounting department at a law firm. While she excelled at her job, she knew accounting wasn’t her calling, so she enrolled in 91��߹’s evening Culinary Arts program to launch a new, creative career.

From the get-go, Pnina stood out from other students because of her familiarity with the restaurant business and her passion for learning. “I’ve always taken initiative and risks in my life,” says Pnina. “But I’ve also been one to self-educate. All my life, if I wanted to know more about something, I would read about it and try it. From cooking to nutrition, I’ve been able to accelerate my learning that way.”

As part of the Culinary Arts program at 91��߹, Pnina secured an externship in the kitchens at Becco and then a full-time position in the kitchens at Eleven Madison Park under Chef Kerry Heffernan. “Working at EMP was an awesome experience. They started me as garde manger and one week later, the sous chef approached me saying, ‘I’ve never seen a newbie work this station as quickly as you.’ From then on, he had me working fish or sides on the hot line.”

About a year after she started at Eleven Madison Park, Pnina received a call from the general manager of a new Mediterranean restaurant in Chelsea. “He asked me to be the executive chef,” says Pnina, “and honestly I didn’t know if I was up to it! But my family is Israeli, and the restaurant was Greek, so I know the food from that region of the world well. It was an incredibly ballsy move, but I took a risk, and it made me incredibly successful.”

The restaurant was called Nisos, and under Pnina’s guidance it quickly became one of the hottest tables in town. “The concept was to reimagine Greek food with French techniques. I was there for two years, and the restaurant was so successful that we were packed every night. During brunch, there was always a crowd.” Nisos attracted the attention of other restaurateurs, and soon Pnina was brought on as the executive chef of Aleo, another Mediterranean restaurant in Gramercy.

“The investor behind Aleo wasn’t from the industry — he was a Wall Street guy. Thank god I had worked in accounting, because I ended up running everything, from the kitchen to the front of the house [and more].” After one year, that restaurateur offered Pnina a stake in the business and she became an operating partner. During and after her time at Aleo, Pnina also picked up freelance catering and consulting work for a number of small restaurants in the city.

Eventually, she was hired by an Italian hotel chain — Jolly Hotels — as the executive chef for the Cinque Terre restaurant on 38^th and Madison. There, she received three stars from the New York Times. Pnina continued working in hotels, including the New York Helmsley, but something shifted when she gave birth to her first child. “I started reading all these books about nutrition and nursing,” explains Pnina. “That sparked a huge interest for me in how food relates to your health.” So when she saw a job opportunity at Memorial Sloan Kettering, Pnina knew she had found her match.

Watch Pnina's featured interview with Rachel Ray:

“Sloan Kettering was a whole other ball game. It required me to bring together all my experience in various parts of the business. I was in charge of in-room patient service, cafeterias that fed about 3,000 people a day, food sold in the gift shop and adjacent cafes — you name it.” Under Pnina’s leadership, MSK scored in the 99th percentile of all American hospitals for its food quality, temperature and service.

What’s more, Pnina implemented food cost measures across the hospital’s culinary division, dramatically increasing revenue for the hospital’s food and nutrition department. In fact, Pnina’s name became so synonymous with a revolution in hospital food that she received a dedicated feature in the New York Times. Even with these thrilling figures, what inspired Pnina most wasn’t the opportunity to brandish her exemplary business skills.

“A body can’t recover from sickness without proper nourishment, and the opportunity to customize meals for sick children to fit their preferences and needs is the most rewarding part of my work. I’ve had patients or their parents call me before they’re admitted and say, ‘I’m looking forward to ordering your food while I’m in the hospital.’ That’s incredibly motivating.”

After five deeply satisfying years at Memorial Sloan Kettering, Pnina moved to New York Presbyterian’s Columbia campus. There she serves everyone from celebrities and politicians in the VIP amenities unit to the catering, food service and retail for the rest of the campus. Four senior-level chefs report to Pnina to help bring this incredible task list to fruition each day. In just a year and a half, she has been able to cut down on food waste, improve the quality of the food and boost food service revenue considerably.

“As someone who wanted to be a doctor as a kid, it’s incredible that I’ve been able to bring this into my life,” adds Pnina. Her prescription for chefs interested in the health care sector? “You need to have experience in every part of the business — catering, fine dining, business management, recipe development, etc. If you can bring all of that, you’ll be much more in demand.”

Ready to launch your dynamic culinary career? Click here to learn more about 91��߹’s Culinary Arts program.

Alumni Career Culinary Arts Culinary Education

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Student Stories: From Guantanamo Bay to Brooklyn's Best Kitchens

ohoadmin — Wed, 18 May 2016 14:00:09 +0000

Student Stories: From Guantanamo Bay to Brooklyn's Best Kitchens ohoadmin Wed, 05/18/2016 - 10:00 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/ChefSharpeningKnives_2.jpg.webp?itok=sbrf1DjH May 18, 2016

By Carly DeFilippo

Carly was 91��߹'s social media and content manager from 2012 to 2016. She is a writer, lifestyle journalist and brand strategist in Brooklyn.

From 17-year-old high school grads to former doctors, artists and executives, 91��߹ students come from all walks of life. In the case of Brooklyn native Christian Souvenir, it took many years in the military before the desire to attend culinary school took hold.

The switch from government intelligence work to cooking may seem like a drastic change, but Christian's disciplined background is serving him well in the kitchen. Since graduating from 91��߹'s Culinary Arts program in 2011, he has worked in some of Brooklyn's most innovative new restaurants, including Nightingale 9 and French Louie, growing his love for a new kind of service.

Thanks to 91��߹'s flexible scheduling options, Christian is able to continue kitchen work while pursuing a second 91��߹ diploma in Culinary Management. "I love cooking in restaurants," Christian explains. "But I saw myself on this path where I could potentially be in charge of people and not have the tools to help them get better. What I've learned in management is helping me form what I want in my eventual restaurant, and what I want for myself as a leader. That is so important."

To learn how 91��߹'s Culinary Management program prepares grads to own or operate culinary businesses, click here. For more information about the range of active duty, reserve and veteran's benefits available to 91��߹ students, click here.

Culinary Arts Restaurant Management

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The Student As Teacher: Meet Chef Charles

ohoadmin — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 18:15:27 +0000

The Student As Teacher: Meet Chef Charles ohoadmin Mon, 04/18/2016 - 14:15 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/Charles_Granquist_4.15.16_edited-4.jpg.webp?itok=EXa0u-mS April 18, 2016

By Carly DeFilippo

Carly was 91��߹'s social media and content manager from 2012 to 2016. She is a writer, lifestyle journalist and brand strategist in Brooklyn.

It’s not every day that a student gets to return to his or her alma mater, to walk the halls as not only an alumnus, but also a teacher. 91��߹ Culinary Arts graduate Charles Granquist has more than earned his place among our faculty, with a resume that includes such diverse experience as the fine-dining kitchens of Blue Hill and the fast-paced food media world of the Food Network.

When he first arrived in New York, Charles wasn’t the most obvious candidate for the culinary profession. He didn’t grow up in a family of cooks, and his education in music and economics at Bates College hadn’t prepared him for life in the kitchen. But when his first job at a sound branding company didn’t pan out as planned, the thought of escaping the cubicle for the kitchen began to sound increasingly enticing.

“If there was anyone in my family who sparked my interest in food, it was probably my grandfather,” Charles explained. “He was originally from Bogota, Columbia, but he spent a significant part of his life in Paris. He couldn’t cook at all, but he would regale us with stories of meals he had in France or Gstaad.”

Those stories, paired with a few summer jobs at fish markets and grills during his college years marinated in Charles’ mind, forming the foundations of a professional calling. His curiosity sparked, Charles knocked on the door of Chanterelle — then, one of the most innovative fine dining restaurants in NYC.

Offering his services for free got his foot in the door, and within the first few days in the kitchen Charles was certain cooking was the career for him. From there, he moved on to the Savoy, where he was hired as garde manger. But the longer he spent in professional kitchens, the more Charles realized he would benefit from formal schooling.

So in 2002, Charles enrolled in the morning Culinary Arts program at 91��߹, while continuing night shifts at Savoy and Fleur de Sel. Immediately, he found a mentor in Chef Ted Siegel. Charles explains, “I don’t think I would have gotten very far in the industry if it weren’t for him. He was tough on all of us and actually got us ready for a restaurant. Specifically, having him for the fifth and final module of the program…that really made me feel ready to enter the industry.”

For his externship, Charles chose to work under an equally rigorous chef, Dan Barber, at Blue Hill in Greenwich Village. He arrived at the restaurant at a fortuitous time: right before Barber opened Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York.

“It was amazing because we closed down Blue Hill NYC for a few months, and the entire crew went upstate to help with the opening. We knew we were on the cutting edge of something, and getting to work with Dan Barber and other chefs like Mike Anthony (now the executive chef of Gramercy Tavern) and Juan Cuevas was an incredible learning experience.”

At the time, Blue Hill was still in its infancy, but Barber’s mission and vision shaped the way Chef Charles cooks to this day. “Chef Dan was a very cerebral guy. He was tough and demanding, but he also made you think really carefully about what you’re doing and where your food is coming from.

My cooking style remains hyper-seasonal to this day — even in my home kitchen. My wife might think it’s ridiculous, but I genuinely like to work with what’s in season because it tastes the best and because working with restrictions is the best way to challenge yourself.”

After the opening of Stone Barns, Chef Charles returned to Blue Hill NYC for another two years. As he moved his way through various stations — from garde manger to saucier — the restaurant continued to evolve, eventually earning a rave three-star review from The New York Times.

Working at one of New York’s finest restaurants didn’t offer much flexibility, so at the request of his newlywed bride, Charles began investigating kitchen positions with more normal hours. Dan Barber personally helped Charles in his search, putting in a call to the Food Network, where Charles landed a position as a food stylist. “Working as a food stylist at the Food Network is totally different than in other parts of the industry. If you’re styling a turkey for Emeril, you might prepare a turkey in six different stages of the cooking and plating process. Every detail needs to be carefully planned out in advance,” Charles notes.

After about a year and a half, Charles was promoted to culinary producer, which involved cross testing the talents’ recipes, developing a run of show for every shoot and working with the talent to ensure everything ran smoothly on set. Working in food media did leave Charles missing the heat and camaraderie of the kitchen, so when the chance to work on new business opportunities for the network arose, he jumped at the opportunity.

Working with the Delaware North company, Charles’ role was to build out a flagship Food Network concession stand at Yankee Stadium. After three years, the project was such a success that it expanded to 22 stadiums across the country. “Working in large-scale food service was something I had never done before,” explains Chef Charles, “so there was a learning curve — in terms of what people would want to eat, how to do local or sustainable sourcing in a stadium setting, etc.” Charles was also recruited to develop two Food Network restaurant concepts for the Fort Lauderdale and Atlanta airports — each with an open kitchen and a menu that reflected local culinary flavor.

After years at Food Network, something was still missing for Chef Charles. He took a year off to follow his passion—spending a week in Chef Mike Anthony’s kitchen at Gramercy Tavern, training in charcuterie at Artisan Meat Share in Charleston and eventually, taking a job at Dickson’s Farmstand Meats as an apprentice charcutier and in-house chef for the shop’s prepared foods.

“After a year back in real kitchens, I knew that I wanted to continue in a place where I was cooking actively,” says Charles. “I had always liked training the staff at the restaurants I had opened for Food Network, so when I saw an opportunity to teach at 91��߹, I knew that would be a meaningful next move.” Though only in his first weeks of teaching, Chef Charles is already shaping the career paths of the next generation of chefs.

Initially, a lot of students are interested in my work with the Food Network, but even if food media is your professional dream job, it would be a major mistake to leave culinary school and not spend at least one year in a professional kitchen — the very best kitchen you can find. No matter where you go after that, you are going to need that foundation. At Food Network, the people who rose through the ranks quickest were invariably those with restaurant experience. And yes, that first year might be the most terrifying career choice of your life, but you will be a much better candidate for any job after that.

Get to know Chef Charles in person. Click here for free information about 91��߹’s Culinary Arts program.

Culinary Arts Culinary School Career

Accessible, At-Home Indian Cooking

ohoadmin — Fri, 08 Apr 2016 15:30:44 +0000

Accessible, At-Home Indian Cooking ohoadmin Fri, 04/08/2016 - 11:30 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/goan-fish-2.jpg.webp?itok=mYud5QcD Lessons From 91��߹ Alum Madhuri Sharma April 8, 2016

By Carly DeFilippo

Carly was 91��߹'s social media and content manager from 2012 to 2016. She is a writer, lifestyle journalist and brand strategist in Brooklyn.

Among the many emerging opportunities for food entrepreneurs, few sectors have seen as much growth as the cook-at-home meal delivery market. Beyond such omnipresent brands as Blue Apron, a wide range of creative chefs and business owners are launching specialized products that serve the needs and tastes of a niche market. Case in point: 91��߹ Culinary Arts alum Madhuri Sharma, co-founder of Indian-inspired meal kit service Saffron Fix.

What distinguishes Saffron Fix from other cook-at-home kits, and what is your role at the company?

Saffron Fix delivers all the pre-chopped ingredients and pre-measured spices you need to create delicious Indian meals at home. As a co-founder, my responsibilities range from running the day-to-day operations to planning the expansion and direction of the company as a whole.

On a typical day, I might be involved with recipe development, managing the production of the recipe cards and labels, planning next month’s menu or breaking down our orders into an operational workflow. We are also constantly working on marketing approaches, keeping our vendors competitive and planning our future expansion.

Have you always worked in the culinary industry?

Before enrolling at 91��߹, I worked as a broadcast content producer at a leading ad agency. What attracted me to the program was the flexibility that 91��߹ offered. Attending classes in the evening allowed me to gain more hands-on culinary experience during the day.

While in school, I was able to work as a line cook at a restaurant, assist on culinary photo shoots and intern at Food Network. Being able to do those things simultaneously enhanced my education.

What was your path from graduation to Saffron Fix?

After graduation, I freelanced as a culinary producer and food stylist for a variety of shows and photo shoots. Within six months, I met my current business partner at Saffron Fix, and we began to hone the concept. Just one year after graduating from 91��߹, we had launched an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign and garnered a fair amount of media attention. Since then, we have grown the business organically and recently started our monthly subscription model.

How did the 91��߹ career services staff support your career transition?

When I walked into the career center at 91��߹, I knew what I wanted to do: merge my background in media production with my culinary interests and work in food media. They helped me focus on opportunities that would allow me to use my varied skills and connected me with other alumni working in my field of interest.

What are your proudest accomplishments as a career changer?

Looking back, I thought that going to culinary school would be the largest risk I could take, since I had already established myself in a completely different industry. But it was just the stepping-stone to many more exciting risks. Starting a business has been just as challenging as it is has been exhilarating, and I think it took a lot of courage to take that leap. But the first time I heard one of our clients tell us how much they loved our product and how it changed their life, I knew that this was what I was meant to do.

What advice would you give other aspiring entrepreneurs?

There is no skill you can't benefit from as an entrepreneur. I have been able to use the knowledge I gained in both my media experience as well as my culinary training. Most people stop themselves from moving forward with a great idea because they feel that they don't have the skills needed, but you can always build on what you already have. It's always better to take that leap than to sit back and watch others do it.

Where would you like to see yourself in the future?

I love the startup space—specifically in food tech. I’d like to continue growing Saffron Fix into an international brand, and I would love to foster ideas that bring better food experiences to a wide audience. After all, food and cooking are our way of connecting not only to our soul but also to each other.

Click here to receive free information about 91��߹'s Culinary Arts program.

Culinary Arts Alumni Career Business of Food

Alum Jenny Dorsey's Culinary Startup Success

ohoadmin — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 17:00:33 +0000

Alum Jenny Dorsey's Culinary Startup Success ohoadmin Mon, 03/28/2016 - 13:00 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/September-16-2015-img073.jpg.webp?itok=jEjvn5t5 March 28, 2016

By Carly DeFilippo

Carly was 91��߹'s social media and content manager from 2012 to 2016. She is a writer, lifestyle journalist and brand strategist in Brooklyn.

From food trucks to pop-ups, the food world has expanded both where and how we like to eat. With supper clubs, there’s a dining adventure for every appetite: chef-driven supper clubs, art-focused supper clubs, anti-food waste supper clubs and so much more. But how many of these business ventures survive the test of time?

In the case of 91��߹ Culinary Arts alum Jenny Dorsey, co-founder and chef of the supper club I Forgot It’s Wednesday (IFIW), these DIY dinners have been a catalyst for sustained culinary success. With the press and connections she has gained from IFIW, Jenny has been able to start a culinary consulting practice and is currently planning to launch a food incubator for projects focused on culinary experiences, rather than food products.

Photo Credit: Robin Lam, MakeThingsWell.com

Before Jenny was the host of one of the country’s most exciting dinner parties, she was a management consultant in the fast-paced world of NYC fashion and luxury goods. “I was working on a lot of ‘sexy’ projects, attending fashion parties and my friends were envious of the discounts I could get on clothes. It probably seemed like a dream job, but truthfully I was really unhappy,” explains Jenny.

Searching for an exit strategy, Jenny applied for an MBA program at Columbia Business School. Once she was accepted, she realized she had just enough time to squeeze in another one of her dreams—attending culinary school—before earning her MBA. “The average person would have kept their job and earned a bit more money before grad school,” says Jenny, “but I had taken a bunch of recreational classes at 91��߹ and really enjoyed the experience.

Once I saw that I could finish the professional culinary program in just six months, I knew I had to make it happen.” Jenny graduated from the Culinary Arts program three days before starting school at Columbia, and the transition was harder than she expected. “I had such a great time in culinary school. The people I met made a deep impact on my life, and when I went to business school, I wasn’t making the same type of connections.”

After one semester at Columbia, Jenny left the program and joined the research and development team at Le Pain Quotidien. At the same time, she began dating one of her business school peers, Matt Dorsey, who boasted some impressive amateur cocktail skills. Together, the pair began hosting supper clubs for friends as a creative outlet.

“Matt and I started the supper club in January of 2014, primarily as a way to spark great conversations. In business school, people always reverted to ‘what do you do, where do you work’—and we wanted to get beyond that. The core idea would be that people could escape their lives in the middle of the week—to the point where they would ‘forget that it’s Wednesday,’” Jenny explains.

During the first few dinners, it became clear that guests were also craving meaningful ways to meet new people, motivating the pair to consider IFIW as a viable business venture. Yet the two still had plenty to learn when it came to the dinner logistics.

“The first dinner was super chaotic—especially because one of our friends brought a Village Voice reporter. I’ll be honest, the first six months were really tough. We didn’t advertise anywhere outside of social media and occasionally through MeetUp, so we were hustling to get people in the door. But then we did a pop-up for 100 people in the Old Bowery Station space that helped get our name out there and things started to pick up.”

After their first pop-up, Jenny and Matt both found opportunities at tech companies in San Francisco and ventured west. Outside of her day job, Jenny pursued opportunities in fine dining, such as volunteering at Michelin-starred restaurant SPQR.

Bringing her new skills to the table, Jenny relaunched I Forgot It’s Wednesday and caught the attention of 7x7 magazine. “When we got the mention in 7x7, things got crazy. Our mailing list jumped to 1,000 people overnight,” says Jenny. “Once we had the audience, we were able to raise our price point a bit and professionalize the evening’s service and hospitality.”

Photo Credit: Robin Lam, MakeThingsWell.com

The pair returned to NYC in August of 2015, at which point Jenny received the Bocuse d’Or Ment’or scholarship, which provided her a full-time position at two-Michelin-star restaurant Atera. From there, she launched her own consulting business and refocused on the supper club.

With success in San Francisco, IFIW earned an east coast press hit from Urban Daddy, and the NYC iteration of the supper club has been selling out ever since. Today, guests experience seven courses, four cocktails, coffee and tea service in a secret location. Jenny and Matt also curate personalized experiences for various clients, from Fair Trade USA to Deloitte, in addition to hosting food- and drink-centric workshops each month.

Over the course of her professional journey, Jenny has found the 91��߹ community to be a constant support in her development as a chef. “You will always need to supplement school with real-world experience, but as a career changer, I really appreciated having formal training before I went into the kitchen. It’s been cool to be a part of the alumni community and have the chance to come back and take professional development classes. Because when you’re in a restaurant kitchen, you’re exposed to advanced techniques, but you don’t necessarily have the time to stop and learn why someone is doing something in a certain way.”

As for other entrepreneurial-minded students, Jenny has a simple piece of advice: “If you want to do something, you should do it. A million people are going to say no, it’s a bad idea, etc. I even had a PR expert tell me that ‘no one was going to write about us.’” Clearly, she has proven the naysayers wrong.

Eager to explore your entrepreneurial side? Click here for free information about 91��߹’s Culinary Management program.

Career Culinary Education Alumni

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Wine Entrepreneur Mary McAuley is Living the Ripe Life

ohoadmin — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 16:35:28 +0000

Wine Entrepreneur Mary McAuley is Living the Ripe Life ohoadmin Tue, 03/22/2016 - 12:35 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/Haystacks3.jpg.webp?itok=2k9A1Iuk March 22, 2016

By Carly DeFilippo

Carly was 91��߹'s social media and content manager from 2012 to 2016. She is a writer, lifestyle journalist and brand strategist in Brooklyn.

When it comes to generating new ideas, it’s easy to feel like everything’s been done before. In the past few years, however, the food industry has had an influx of fresh, innovative concepts that challenge that old adage. Among the first-time entrepreneurs successfully disrupting the food market is 91��߹ alum Mary McAuley, founder of Ripe Life Wines.

A former health care analyst, Mary’s story began like that of many 91��߹ students. She felt unfulfilled in her career and spent her free time dreaming about opportunities in the restaurant business, but she wasn’t quite ready to make the professional leap.

Thanks to the flexible schedule options at 91��߹, Mary was able to enroll in the Culinary Management program while continuing to work full time. “91��߹ is such an accommodating school, and, because of that, I feel like we had all walks of life in the classroom—executives interested in restaurant management, people who were young, people working in PR, etc. For those who aren’t fully comfortable diving straight into the restaurant industry, it’s a great way to get your feet wet.”

During her time at 91��߹, Mary picked up shifts at Maialino, an Italian restaurant in Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group. She eventually left her analyst job to work full-time as a server and expediter at Maialino, and, at the same time, began pursuing wine classes through 91��߹’s School of Recreational Cooking. Between her work at the restaurant—where Master Sommelier John Ragan oversees the beverage program—and classes with 91��߹ Director of Wine Studies Richard Vayda, Mary soon had a significant knowledge of varietals and winemaking styles.

Continuing her wine training with formal classes and rigorous extracurricular research, Mary earned a beverage director position under chefs Alex Raij and Eder Montero at acclaimed Brooklyn restaurant La Vara. It was during this period that Mary’s entrepreneurial vision began to take shape, inspired by a summer clambake in 2011 on the Jersey shore.

As a sommelier, Mary was charged with picking out a wine for the event. “I was trying to find something at an affordable price that would fit the seafood-centric menu for the event, and what I kept coming back to was a white Burgundy, which was much too expensive for this kind of casual dining. On the American side, things were more affordable, but all the options were over-oaked and inappropriate for seafood.”

Frustrated by the options available to her, Mary resolved to make her own wine for the next annual clambake, thinking she would simply develop a limited number of cases through an existing winery. Once the wine was developed, Mary kept hearing the same reaction from friends and family, “This is great. You should do this professionally.” “In an entrepreneur-heavy generation, I knew I wasn’t the only person encouraged to start a company by friends and family,” says Mary.

“But what started to persuade me was the market research. I realized there was a void that could be filled with this concept: craft, small-batch wines at an affordable price.”

Reaching out to the resources at her disposal, Mary shared her business plan with La Vara general manager Jason Aris. By that point, Mary had developed several wine concepts that stretched beyond her original idea for Clambake Chardonnay. “Jason looked at everything and gave me the best advice of my career: ‘Stop launching all of these things at once. Focus on one, get it right and then focus on the next. You are Clambake—so start with that.’”

Developing a new wine is hardly a simple process, but Mary’s experience in wine buying rendered her exceptionally prepared for the task at hand. “I knew there was a question of approachability. For example, there are a lot of beach-themed wines (in terms of the name or label), but most of them are not high-quality products. By choosing the name ‘Clambake,’ I was keeping things approachable, but surprising people in a good way.”

That concept of surprise was something Mary learned at 91��߹. “I remember [Dean of Culinary Management] Steve Zagor used to say, ‘Never surprise people with mediocrity.’ In the wine industry, there is so much mediocrity out there, which is what makes buying wine an intimidating process. I took that idea to heart when I was developing my wine.”

The first vintages of Mary’s chardonnay and limited edition rosé were a hit among restaurateurs and wine enthusiasts alike. “Our mission is to make only single vineyard, single varietal bottles. That means the flavors may vary year-to-year, but they will always reflect the terroir and the climate of a given growing season. It’s a very European approach, and we’re not cutting any corners.” It’s exactly this unexpected approach that has earned Mary acclaim within the winemaking market—and entrepreneurial publications like Inc.

She recently hired a new winemaker, Jason Driscoll, who has previously earned 96 points for his bottles on the Robert Parker/Wine Advocate rating system. “Jason was supposed to be a consultant, but once he realized we weren’t doing blends, his response was, ‘This is gangster. I want this project.’” Mary is quick to add that her journey to entrepreneurial success hasn’t been all wine and rosés.

“Starting a business requires two entirely separate skill sets. One is to envision, imagine and deliver a product. The other is the day-to-day running of a business. Bookkeeping, taxes, hiring and firing—that never comes to mind when you’re developing the product you want to place in the market. If you don’t have that skill set, it’s important to seek out professional training, mentorship or a partner with skills that complement yours.”

Eager to explore your entrepreneurial side? Click here for free information about 91��߹’s Culinary Management program.

Wine Business of Food Hospitality Management Restaurant Management

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Meet Anthony Caporale: 91��߹'s Mixology Master

ohoadmin — Thu, 17 Mar 2016 11:45:35 +0000

Meet Anthony Caporale: 91��߹'s Mixology Master ohoadmin Thu, 03/17/2016 - 07:45 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/meet%20anthony%20caporale%20header.jpg.webp?itok=FbWXL6HW Anthony's teaching the art of [serving] the drink. March 17, 2016

By Carly DeFilippo

Carly was 91��߹'s social media and content manager from 2012 to 2016. She is a writer, lifestyle journalist and brand strategist in Brooklyn.

What do mechanical engineering, theater and cocktails have in common? Stir them all together and you get 91��߹ Director of Beverage Studies Anthony Caporale — straight up. Over the course of his multifaceted career, Anthony has consulted on the bar programs for Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill, Bloomingdales’ Flip! Burger and 48 Lounge in Rockefeller Center.

He has also spearheaded YouTube’s very first bartender training series, Art of the Drink, and garnered rave reviews for his off-Broadway show, "The Imbible: A Spirited History of Drinking." Before he became one of the industry’s leading bartending educators, Anthony was a teenager in suburban Long Island.

His best friend’s family owned a chain of regional theaters, and the pair spent their weekends immersed in the creative craft, serving as ushers for guests or lending a helping hand to the set design crew. By the time he reached college, Anthony had grown into a bona fide performer, starring in or helping to produce a wide range of shows.

Anthony then pursued an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at Duke University. Unsatisfied with the college’s social scene, he and his friends started hosting a weekly cocktail club, with Anthony playing the role of bartender. By the time he graduated, these weekly parties had garnered a healthy following.

Questioning his long-term interest in engineering, Anthony opted to try his hand in the restaurant industry. After waiting tables for just a few months, Anthony was promoted to shifts behind the bar. “When people ask me how to get into bartending, I always tell them the same thing — and my answer hasn’t changed for 20 years,” says Anthony. “Join a restaurant as a server and be the best server on the floor — because a bartender has to be everything a server is and then some.” In fact, within months of starting out as a bartender, Anthony was training the rest of the restaurant’s bar staff.

Watch Anthony train Food & Wine magazine's Dana Cowin in the art of gin mixology:

As Anthony was training the staff at various bars and restaurants, he realized that his mechanical engineering background added value to his consulting portfolio. Shortly thereafter, he was consulting on bar build-outs and landed the opportunity to own and operate a bar on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Transforming a rudimentary beer bar into an establishment with a full liquor license and kitchen, Anthony fulfilled the roles of contractor, owner and general manager.

“I essentially earned my MBA that year, with everything I learned by building and owning my own business,” Anthony notes. “Ultimately, I realized that I enjoyed opening other people’s bars more than I liked owning my own.” After successfully selling his bar, Anthony took a break from the restaurant profession, balancing days of mechanical engineering with nights in the theater. Yet soon enough, Anthony found himself stopping in at the Maggiano’s restaurant next to the theater to inquire about bartender openings.

That opportunity led to a role as a corporate consultant for Maggiano’s locations across the country, where Anthony’s bartender trainings were so notorious for their entertainment value that the restaurants’ guests would ask to sit in. “Art of the Drink was born out of those trainings,” Anthony explains. “Legally, we couldn’t have restaurant patrons staying on the premises after hours, so I was encouraged by management to create a video version of the trainings. Little did I know that I would be creating the first web video series to focus exclusively on bartending. From there, the opportunities just kept coming.”

Anthony’s newfound notoriety and roots in New York soon inspired a move from North Carolina to the city, where he consulted on projects ranging from bar training for Bloomingdales’ Flip! Burger, to Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill, to representing Drambuie as the liquor brand’s national ambassador. Having spent so much of his career teaching, it was a natural fit for Anthony to become 91��߹'s Director of Beverage Studies, teaching recreational cocktail classes at 91��߹, as well as bar management for 91��߹’s Culinary Management students. Today, Anthony’s multidisciplinary talents have made beverage management one of the most dynamic elements of 91��߹’s career programs: “Being a great bar or beverage manager used to be a bonus for front-of-house professionals, because all the cocktails were standardized.

But today, with the renaissance of cocktail culture, it’s expected that restaurants put as much thought and expertise into their bar as their food menu — otherwise, every single reviewer will destroy you.” As part of his curriculum, Anthony performs the role of mixology myth buster, exposing the economic and human resources issues that can sink even the most exciting bar program.

“People always say you make all your money behind the bar in restaurants. It’s laughable because you’re literally tracking liquid, which is much, much harder than noticing the disappearance of silverware or chicken breasts. In fact, most restaurants are losing money behind the bar because they haven’t properly trained and motivated their staff.”

Watch as Anthony breaks down bar economics, including bar theft:

For 91��߹ students and bar professionals alike, Anthony’s no-nonsense take on the industry is as refreshing as a summertime gin and tonic: “Good bartenders always remember that the craft is not about making the drink, it’s about serving the drink. People will forgive a mediocre drink if the service is amazing, but they won’t come back for an amazing drink served by a messy or rude bartender.”

To request free information about 91��߹’s Culinary Management program, click here.

Mixology Cocktails

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Designing Kitchens for #FutureChefs

ohoadmin — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 16:24:08 +0000

Designing Kitchens for #FutureChefs ohoadmin Thu, 03/10/2016 - 11:24 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/jadeisland%20%281%29.jpg.webp?itok=H9lpeIH2 March 10, 2016

By Carly DeFilippo

Carly was 91��߹'s social media and content manager from 2012 to 2016. She is a writer, lifestyle journalist and brand strategist in Brooklyn.

When 91��߹ Vice President of Education Richard Simpson took on the duty of overseeing the build-out of 91��߹’s new, 74,000 square foot facility at Brookfield Place, he knew he was undertaking a project whose scope was unprecedented in New York City. With 12 teaching kitchens extending across a single floor of an A-class office building, the project required the manpower and logistics of opening 12 restaurants simultaneously—plus the complications of coordinating construction with prestigious neighbors Equinox and Saks Fifth Avenue.

While the average New York City restaurant kitchen might be built for efficiency and maximizing dining room space, the teaching kitchens at 91��߹ have an entirely different set of requirements. At 91��߹, multiple gas, electric and French top ranges are distributed throughout each culinary kitchen, providing students with a diversity of equipment rarely seen on a single restaurant’s hot line.

On the pastry side, our expansive kitchens mimic the high-volume production spaces of wholesale bakeries with oversized mixers, steam-injection deck ovens and professional sheeters. Beyond the obvious difference in size, 91��߹’s kitchens are also working two or three times as hard as the average restaurant kitchen, making reliability and availability of service primary factors in equipment selection.

For 91��߹’s recreational teaching kitchens, this can be a high bar to meet. “In a month, we use equipment more than an ambitious cook could use in two years of home cooking,” says Richard. “We needed a partner who could train our in-house staff to do necessary repairs, which is why we’ve maintained a longstanding relationship with BlueStar as the official range of 91��߹’s School of Recreational Cooking. In our professional kitchens, we’ve been very pleased with industrial-grade ranges from Southbend, and the showpiece of our culinary kitchens: a custom Jade island range.”

Beyond the ovens and stovetops, 91��߹’s new facility boasts an impressive range of specialty equipment, including a tandoor, plancha, vertical rotisserie, six small batch machines for bean-to-bar chocolate production…and a 3,000-pound hearth oven. Outfitted by American brands Wood Stone and Cacao Cucina, our Culinary Technology and Chocolate Labs are truly triumphs of organizational engineering and commitment to innovation in culinary education.

“A fascinating thing for everyone to realize is the sheer amount of ductwork in the school,” adds Richard. “The engineers nicknamed the project ‘the Swiss watch’ because of the incredible complexity of multiple layers of ductwork throughout our ceiling. For one thing, consider how loud the average professional kitchen is—we’ve added remote compressors into all our kitchens to remove the constant hum of the refrigerator.

And then consider airflow: there are 50,000 cubic feet of air per minute moving through the space. We needed to install two school bus-sized air cleaning units to filter that air before letting it head back out into the world!”

Outside the kitchens, 91��߹’s hydroponic garden brought its own set of environmental challenges. If you grow a large number of plants in a closed room, eventually they run out of carbon dioxide. “We interviewed at least five consultants for this project, and the technology is so new that it was constantly evolving over the course of the garden’s design.

In the end, we worked with Boswyck Farms to design the hydroponic irrigation system and installed a custom HVAC system to exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen. Ultimately, we’re looking at growing up to 30 different crops in the garden at any time.”

Richard has customized the student experience down to the very last detail. “One of the most innovative decisions we made was to create self-contained student workspaces. We applied the kitchen concept of mise en place to our equipment—at each of the metal tables in the kitchens, there are specific compartments for bowls, pots, pans, rolling pins, you name it. Just as prepping all the garnishes and ingredients before service helps chefs work faster, having the right tools at your fingertips is a game-changer."

Since the opening of the new facility in 2015, 91��߹ has played host to master classes for the New York City Wine & Food Festival, the Dessert Professional Top 10 Chocolatier Awards, film shoots for Epicurious and much, much more. “In addition to training the next generation of chefs, our kitchens are prepared to perform a diverse array of tasks, from a film set for the media to a test kitchen for professional chefs,” explains Richard. “We’re incredibly proud to be a resource for the city’s culinary community—and with a 20-year lease, we know we’re going to be around for a very, very long time.”

To learn more about 91��߹’s Brookfield Place facility, click here.

Institute of Culinary Education Hydroponic Garden Culinary School Tools

Carly DeFilippo

Master the Dessert Buffet with King of Pastry Philippe Rigollot

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Editorial Entrepreneur: 91����߹ Alum Ed Behr

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Cooking for a Cause — 91����߹ Alum Pnina Peled

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Student Stories: From Guantanamo Bay to Brooklyn's Best Kitchens

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The Student As Teacher: Meet Chef Charles

Accessible, At-Home Indian Cooking

Alum Jenny Dorsey's Culinary Startup Success

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Wine Entrepreneur Mary McAuley is Living the Ripe Life

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Meet Anthony Caporale: 91����߹'s Mixology Master

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Designing Kitchens for #FutureChefs

Editorial Entrepreneur: 91��߹ Alum Ed Behr

Cooking for a Cause — 91��߹ Alum Pnina Peled

Meet Anthony Caporale: 91��߹'s Mixology Master