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SIDE DISH
CCA invades the James Beard House. Several years ago, three aspiring chefs met while they were students at CCA. On August 25th, Jason Dady of the Lodge Restaurant of Castle Hills, JBF Foundation award winner Christopher Lee of Auerole NYC, and Daniel Patino of Michael Mina's Arcadia restaurant will join forces to put on a fantastic Cook's Reunion dinner at the Beard House in New York City. Click here to get information about how you can reserve a seat at the table.
Job opportunities! As part of Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America, CCA is now tapped into a terrific new resource for identifying employment opportunities in the culinary and hospitality industries. Check out the new and improved Optimal Resume!
Get certified. CCA is now a designated American Culinary Federation Certification Test Site. Contact Chef John Meidinger for information about upcoming exam dates.
Cheer on your fellow alum. CCA alumnus Jeffrey Saad is cooking, baking, and taking names as a contestant on The Next Food Network Star. Learn more about Jeffrey and where you can catch him in-person here.
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CCA Alumni Newsletter - June 2009
A TOAST FROM THE TOP
Greetings Alumni,
Jennifer White
CCA President
I am continuously impressed by the talents of the students, faculty, and alumni that make up the California Culinary Academy family. While there are a limited number of names that are instantly recognizable amongst the general public, there are countless others that are innovating, garnering loyal followers, and shaping the future of our industry. I am often reminded that these professionals come with incredible stories of commitment, calculated risks, and an investment in their own education that sets them up for the successes they ultimately achieve. This month, our newsletter provides a window into the lives of a few individuals that represent the breadth of talent that we have in our midst.
Last Sunday, I caught the first episode of this season's The Next Food Network Star. I was thrilled to watch CCA alum Jeffrey Saad named the winner of the show's first challenge, due both to his culinary prowess and his winning personality. I hope you'll enjoy a brief look at the journey that led Jeffrey to this opportunity in our column "Well-Seasoned."
Also this month, we take a look at the incredible talents that come to CCA for their formal culinary education, having already committed themselves to their profession through years of practice and persistence, beginning at a very early age. Desiree Tuttle, who is profiled in our Al Dente section, is one such talent. And finally, I am pleased to share the story of long-time CCA instructor, Chef John Meidinger, whose expertise was built through an intellectual curiosity and a commitment to understanding his vocation from all angles.
The common trait I see in each of these individuals, and so many of you, is the confidence to take on new challenges without fear or hesitation. It is that approach to life that makes accomplishing our dreams possible and therefore I hope that these stories will inspire you to continue to push your own limits each day.
Sincerely,
Jennifer White
President
WELL-SEASONED
Name: Jeffrey Saad
Graduating Class: 1992
Degree Earned: AOS Culinary
Current Position: Contestant on The Next Food Network Star
Cuisine Style: "Cooking Without Borders"
Chef Jeffrey Saad
Some people struggle their entire life to balance the often conflicting pursuits of their creative passions and a successful career. Jeffrey Saad cannot relate. At just thirteen, the Chicago-born chef joined the kitchen staff of a local diner. He had already determined that cooking was his passion and also would be his vocation.
Jeffrey was inspired to get in the kitchen at a young age by his Lebanese grandmother, who was quite a chef. He also was influenced by his mother, though not necessarily by her culinary style, "I use to think that my mom was a great cook, but then I realized that she just cooked often," says Jeffrey.
He began his official culinary training at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, but eager to live in what he considers "the greatest food city in the nation," Chef Saad soon transferred to CCA in San Francisco.
While a student at CCA, Jeffrey maintained a hectic pace by working in local restaurants when he was not in the classroom. He had big dreams and a desire to achieve them quickly, so gaining valuable real world and classroom experience at the same time was essential. While a student, Jeffrey helped Arnold Rossman open Rosemarino in Pacific Heights. Though Jeffrey was assigned to the front of the house, he couldn't keep his head out of the kitchen. He often came to work early to set up the dining room so that he'd also have the opportunity to work with Chef Rossman in the kitchen before service began.
In addition to Rosemarino, Jeffrey also staged at California Crayfish and Tassajara Bakery during his studies. Though he'd always had drive and ambition, the speaker at his CCA convocation ceremony gave Jeffrey a mantra that inspires him to this day: "The only difference between dreams and reality is how badly you want it."
After graduation, Jeffrey headed to London to stage with Anton Mosimann. He also wrote a business plan and within a year of graduation, opened Sweet Heat, a gourmet, healthy Mexican restaurant located in San Francisco's Marina district. Two more Sweet Heat outposts followed over the next five years. Jeffrey also sold his green and red chile chutneys at the restaurants. He eventually sold the business to make time for a new adventure: to open numerous outposts of the well-known Italian restaurant chain Pasta Pomodoro with a friend.
In 2001, Jeffrey moved to Los Angeles where he began working in real estate. While continuing to work in the culinary world as a recipe and restaurant consultant, he now owns a successful real estate brokerage firm with his wife. A devoted husband and father of two, Jeffrey also has a second degree black belt in martial arts – a passion he has been committed to for some 20 years.
Jeffrey has never felt the need to limit the challenges he's willing to take on in the food service industry, or otherwise. That's why he took his friends seriously when they encouraged him to audition for The Next Food Network Star last year. "My wife and I watched the show, and I thought: I can do that!" says Jeffrey. Soon after answering the show's open call, he found himself amongst an inspiring and illustrious cast of characters on one of Food Network's most popular shows.
Speaking about his experience on the show, Jeffrey notes that it was tougher than he imagined it would be. "It's not as easy as it looks. You need to be the master of extremely diverse skills to succeed," he says. With the show currently airing on Sundays at 9pm on Food Network, Jeffrey is hopeful that his performance will make his fellow CCA alums proud. Regardless of the show's outcome, that's an achievement he already has in the bag.
AL DENTE
At some point in their lives, many people want to develop their culinary skills and experiment in the kitchen. Far less, however, discover that passion at an early age and proactively work to make their dreams come true. But realizing her culinary dreams is what sets Desiree Tuttle apart from the many aspiring chefs her age. Not only did Desiree place first in CCA's Future Chefs competition, but she also has an equally inspiring story to go along with it.
Desiree Tuttle knew she wanted to cook and bake since the days she practiced with her easy bake oven as a young girl. As influential figures in her life, Desiree's grandparents inspired her to develop her culinary skills. Her grandfather, a chef on a navy ship, encouraged her to cook, while her grandmother's recipes stuck with her even after she passed away. By the time she was a junior in high school, Desiree's famous cakes, which she cooked for friends' birthdays, and her love for cooking shows, confirmed that the culinary field was perfect for her.
Desiree learned about CCA through research and was sold on the school when she heard more about the Le Cordon Bleu program from a campus representative. That same representative later suggested that Desiree enroll in the Future Chefs competition. "Even though I was enrolled in the baking and pastry program, she thought I was capable."
CCA's Future Chefs competition awards high school seniors who plan to attend CCA for demonstrating a commitment to the culinary field. The competition requires each participant to submit an application and an essay detailing why they want to be the next 'Future Chef of America.' From the pool of applicants, ten finalists are chosen and each one must produce a two entrée meal, including fabricating an entire chicken, with ingredients provided by CCA.
With an hour and a half to produce the two entrée meal, Desiree explained, "I wanted to have my recipe perfected since this was not my field of expertise." But with practice and advice from her grandfather, she felt ready to take on the challenge of cooking an entire chicken. She took on the challenge indeed, and produced a delectable mixed green salad with homemade vinaigrette along with an almond crusted chicken breast with lemon and herb baby red potatoes, sweet julienne carrots, and a brown sugar glaze. With her winning recipe, Desiree was awarded a $10,000 scholarship to CCA.
As she embarks on her journey at CCA in the fall, Desiree is "looking forward to the move from Carlsbad to San Francisco" and is excited about starting school in the fall. She is confident that CCA is the right school for her and we feel the same way. We tip our toques to Desiree and her bright future here at CCA!
UNDER THE TOQUE
John Meidinger
CCA Chef Instructor
Chef Instructor John Meidinger may very well have been every parent's dream. Not only did he enroll at Stanford University as an undergraduate, but he was focused on pre-med coursework. Thankfully for California Culinary Academy and the culinary industry in general, Chef Meidinger unexpectedly happened upon a passion for cooking that outweighed his enthusiasm for his more academic endeavors.
John's first foray into the culinary field took place at Sandy's Kitchen in the Stanford Shopping Center, where he worked weekends for his uncle, the restaurant manager. John started as a hotdog cook and eventually moved up the ranks to dishwasher and finally, breakfast cook. Though he intended to take the job for some extra spending money and to defray tuition loans, Chef Meidinger got much more from that experience. "I loved working in the kitchen," said John. "Plus, I was good at it."
As he was preparing to head off for medical school at UC Davis, Chef Meidinger was beginning to have second thoughts about the career path on which he was headed. To test his mettle and commitment to medicine, John decided to take a job drawing blood from patients at a Sacramento hospital. Suffice it to say, that experience paled in comparison to the enjoyment he derived from his work at Sandy's Kitchen.
Instead, Chef Meidinger took a job with the FDA, which allowed him to combine his understanding of science with his love for food. "We inspected bakeries, food warehouses, bottling plants, and restaurants," recalls Chef Meidinger. "I was a food industry cop." After three years, Chef Meidinger tired of the enforcement angle and decided that actually working in a kitchen was what he was meant to do.
He landed a job at the Hyatt House in Palo Alto, California and began his unofficial culinary training in earnest, working his way up from prep cook to the line. "I thought that was it. I had found my calling," recalls the Chef. After taking a second job at a local coffee shop, which required him to come up with a daily special and soup five days a week, Chef Meidinger sat down with a cookbook for professional chefs and went to work. Recalls Chef Meidinger, "that was my culinary school."
Chef Meidinger picked up enough skills along the way that he earned a spot as the executive chef at the Tides Warf in Bodega Bay a few years later. True to his pattern of filling his spare time with additional work, Chef Meidinger began teaching at Santa Rosa Junior College, where he stayed for six years. During a stint with a local catering company in 1996, John came across an ad in the Chronicle for a culinary instructor with a science background. Since that time, Chef Meidinger has taught food science and sanitation, in addition to the occasional foundations courses, at CCA.
As he is never at peace with only one form of employment, Chef Meidinger complements the time he spends on campus as a lecturer with running a catering company, Creative Catering. "I need to get my hands in the food and keep current, but I could never give up teaching," he explains. "The energy transfer that occurs in a classroom - it keeps you alive." Being that both of his sons are baseball players, Chef Meidinger offers an appropriate analogy when describing his favorite thing about being a CCA Chef Instructor. "Every six weeks there are fresh new faces in my classroom. I get to watch them from the beginning, from t-ball to the major leagues."
COMMUNITY TABLE
CCA students tackle over 20,000 pounds of salami
and pepperoni on behalf of the SF Food Bank
The San Francisco Food Bank has found requests for food to be up 24 percent over last year. There's certainly no excess of donations to cover the growing demand, therefore the nonprofit has looked to other organizations in the San Francisco community to lend a hand in this time of tremendous need. Thanks to CCA, the Food Bank now has the skilled hands of culinary students at the ready.
Though the Food Bank periodically receives offers of free or low-cost meats, the organization never had the capacity to take large scale products and break them down to sizes appropriate for distribution to families. Last month, CCA students and faculty spent a weekend and several hours a day during a busy week of classes to cut over 20,000 pounds of salami and pepperoni for the Food Bank's 200 grocery pantries. Those items are now on their way to fill the bellies of San Francisco's 150,000 hungry families. Kudos to the CCA Iron Toques club for their good work!
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