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Hospitality Home
News/Events
Meal with a Chef
Executive Chefs, C.O.D. Students to Replicate 1928 Dinner
Traditions in Excellence Dinner
For the Love of Chocolate
March of Dimes
Visiting Chef Jean Marie Martel
French Country Cooking Trip
Wine and Gastronomy Tour
Culinary Theater
Hospitality Administration Students Win National Honor
“Our students last February had a wonderful opportunity to work in a world-class hotel with great historical significance,” Macht said. “They were able to work with the Palmer House Hilton staff under normal circumstances. Now, here at C.O.D., they will work side-by side with the hotel’s executive chef and executive sous chef. It is quite an opportunity.”
By Ken Reed
Three College of DuPage Hospitality Administration students captured first place national honors this month in a knowledge-bowl competition patterned after the popular television show Jeopardy and sponsored by the International Food Service Executives Association.
The students, Sharon Balkey (Burr Ridge) and Laura Lerdal and Jamie Reid (both from Villa Park), competed against five hospitality colleges, baccalaureate-granting institutions and Harper College in the national contest in Denver. The students were accompanied by chef instructor, Timothy Meyers.
Meyers said the students exhibited knowledge in cooking, restaurant finance, marketing and personnel management in their national tourney win.
The students earned the national berth by winning a regional competition.
“I’m so proud of them,” Meyers said. “They met one day a week for four hours to prepare. The amount of time and effort they put in was fabulous. I couldn’t have asked for a harder working group.”
Executive Chefs, C.O.D. Students to Replicate 1928 Dinner
By Ken Reed
With assistance from the executive chef and executive sous chef of the renowned Palmer House Hilton Hotel in Chicago, the Classical Cuisine class at College of DuPage will turn back the clock to 1928 on Tuesday, April 29.
That’s when the Hospitality Administration class will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the dinner first served in the Palmer House’s famous Empire Room to the eminent French chef, Auguste Escoffier.
Assisting and guiding the students on April 29 will be Stephen Henry, executive chef and Michael Campbell, executive sous chef of the Palmer House Hilton.
The replica dinner will be created and served by the Classical Cuisine class to 99 members and guests of the prestigious Les Amis d’Escoffier Society of Chicago. The society is comprised of members of the Chicago Chefs d’Cuisine, community residents and noted hospitality industry representatives. While most of the society members attending the sold-out dinner reside in the Chicago area, some will be flying in for the event, according to George Macht, C.O.D. professor/coordinator, Hospitality Administration. Macht has been a society member for more than 15 years.
A reception is scheduled in the college’s Student Resource Center (SRC), Room 1480, at 6 p.m. The replica dinner will be served in the Escoffier Dining Room at 6:30 p.m.
The dinner menu includes winter game consommé; frog legs, which are frenched, seasoned and wrapped in paper-thin slices of Anjou pear and spun in a potato blanket; medallions of Maine lobster tails; an elegant ice made from one of France’s sweet wines; suckling pig; crème caramel infused with black tea from China; Swiss chocolate pipe filled with blood orange mousse; the famous Palmer House brownie; and valrhona chocolate ice cream and rhubarb caviar pearls.
The Palmer House Hilton staff, assisted by C.O.D. Classical Cuisine students, first replicated the famous 1928 dinner in Chicago on Feb. 24. Now, the hotel staff is returning the favor by assisting C.O.D. students as they turn back the clock one more time.
Meal with a Chef
Last summer, three chefs from the Hospitality Administration department joined together to cook a lavish meal at the home of Lucretia Bell McCall. The six-course dinner was one of the prizes awarded at the annual "Traditions in Excellence" fundraiser. Ms. McCall was the lucky winner and invited seven close friends to enjoy the occasion. Chefs Tim Meyers, Dave Kramer and Chris Thielman worked to create several different courses complemented by accompanying wines. Highlights from the menu were a deconstructed Arugula and parmesan salad, grilled halibut with roasted fingerling potatoes, duck breast with a jicama slaw and a Neapolitan chocolate tower with raspberry and chocolate mousses featuring a passion-fruit sauce. The chefs were helped by adjunct instructor Nancy Farber and student Chris Liska. It was a wonderful experience for both the diners and instructors.
Chef In Home Meal video/120k
Chef In Home Meal video for T1/300K
Traditions in Excellence Dinner
Food and Wine Festival
Each April, the Hospitality Administration program puts on its annual fundraising dinner. This year the date is April 22, 2008. The event begins at 6 p.m. and includes a silent auction, food prepared by area chefs, a selection of wine and beers, and pastries prepared by our own students. You will be entertained by live music and demonstrations by the Baking and Pastry students. The dress for the evening is business attire. This is a great place to support our students and dine on some of the best local cuisine.
Your evening will also include a silent and live auction, raffle and many exciting top prizes.
To purchase tickets and receive more information, please e-mail: thielman@cod.edu.View the invitation to this event
Excellence Dinner video
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For the Love of Chocolate
Indulge your senses in a decadent chocolate wonderland while supporting a worthy cause. Breathe in the intoxicating aroma of pure chocolate while you observe the area's top chefs build sumptuous, unique chocolate creations. Taste exotic cocktails and divine desserts from Chicago restaurants. Listen to music flowing through the air as you make your way through the Cocoa Sutra room.
The event is held on Chicago’s historic and romantic South Side lakefront every Spring semester. Top chefs from around the country will join together to transform the celebrated South Shore Cultural Center into a decadent chocolate wonderland that could rival even Willy Wonka's factory — all to help inner-city high school students achieve their dreams of becoming the "superchefs" of tomorrow. Intricate chocolate clothing, dazzling chocolate body art, amazing chocolate sculptures and a sensual and luxurious "Cocoa Sutra" room will be on display during the extravaganza.
"For the Love of Chocolate" will benefit Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), a national non-profit that prepares at-risk public high school students for college and careers in the hospitality industry. Managing the largest independent culinary scholarship program in the United States, C-CAP has awarded 1,850 scholarships, valued at over $17.8 million, changing the way many underserved high school students see their future and making a difference between a job and a career for more than 100,000 students. All the proceeds raised from the event will enable C-CAP to continue offering scholarships and programs. To purchase tickets or for more information, please visit www.fortheloveofchocolate.org.
March of Dimes
Every fall semester the Hospitality Administration program is proud and honored to be able to give back to our community by cooking at the annual March of Dimes fundraiser event. The event is held at the Signature Room in Woodridge and is attended by over 500 guests.
Chefs from all over the western suburbs cook and serve their specialty appetizers to a hungry room of honored guests. The Hospitality faculty chefs at the college created and served 500 portions of shredded duck confit on a crispy roesti potato cake topped with mesclune mix baby greens and a piquant mango salsa.
The evening also features a silent auction which helps to raise tens of thousands of dollars. This year's total was about $100,000. Students from the program contribute their time and effort to assist in this worthy cause. If you are interested in more information on this worthwhile cause, please contact the department.
George Macht, David Kramer and Chris Theilman
Vivian Macht (second from left) and friends enjoy the evening.
Kelly Kania, Gina Gizzo and a representative from Trader Joe's.
Chef Jean Marie Martel
Recently, Foods 2201, Classical Cuisine, was fortunate to have as a guest Chef Jean Marie Martel in the College of DuPage Hospitality kitchen. On this day, Chef Martel prepared a traditional French cuisine of a warm artichoke salad with eggplant, sautéed tri-colored lentils with shallots, a tournade of salmon with lobster, and a chocolate cake served with raspberry sauce.
Chef Martel prepared several portions of each dish for students, showing the true importance of using classical French cooking in modern day cooking. When the dishes were prepared, Chef Martel let the students taste each dish, so the students understood how the dishes that the students were now going to prepare, were supposed to taste.
The Classical Cuisine class was then split into teams, to recreate Chef Martel’s works of art. Chef Martel guided each group, giving advice when needed. Once the class had finished recreating each dish, Chef Martel examined each dish of each group, explaining the negatives and positives of each dish.
It was a pleasure for the culinary students, and the College of DuPage to have such a prestigious chef such as Chef Martel to demonstrate classic French cooking.
French Country Cooking Trip
French Country Cooking Tour in July 2008. This very popular trip includes a stay at the Chateau de Matel in Roanne, France, four half-days of cooking classes with an English-speaking French chef, and day trips to local attractions. A chocolate demonstration, visits to local markets, wine-pressing workshop, vineyards, medieval villages, and a day in Lyon provide a variety of experiences for all tastes
Please contact Chris Thielman at (630) 942-2720 or thielman@cod.edu for prices and additional detailsFrench Country Cooking video
The video has been converted to a streaming media file, which you can view using Windows Media Player. If you do not have this free software installed on your computer, you may download it from the Microsoft download site.
Choose a file based on your Internet connection speed (you will need Windows Media Player to view these files):
French Country Cooking video for Dialup/56k
French Country Cooking video for ISDN/128k
French Country Cooking video for T1/300kClick on the pictures below for a larger view.
Warm Chocolate Pistachio Souffle and cookies at Trois Gros restaurant
The entire group sitting down to dinner together at the Chateau
Chef Jean preparing for a cooking lesson at Chateau De Matel
A produce market in La Clayette
Chef Bernard DuFoux- Master Chocolatier of France in 1999.
Chef Stephane and the group in their rooms at the Chateau
Wine and Gastronomy Tour
Wine and Gastronomy Tour of France will take place from May 18 to 24, 2008. We will be spending a week in Roanne, France at an 18th century chateau learning about French wines and wine-producing methods, while enjoying regional gastronomic specialties from each accompanying region. Day trips to Burgundy, Beaujolais, and nearby Roannaise vineyards will be included, along with tastings at local domaines. Visit medieval villages and enjoy meals at gourmet restaurants.
Wine and Gastronomy video for 100k
Wine and Gastronomy video for 300k
Culinary Theater
College of DuPage is proud to be the home for a state-of-the-art Culinary Theater. The theater, which features three separate video cameras, state-of-the-art kitchen appliances and four wide-screen plasma televisions, has successfully taken the college’s Hospitality program into a new era of instruction.
After two years of planning, the Escoffier Culinary Theater proudly opened its “oven” doors to an audience of local dignitaries, including C.O.D. Board of Trustee and Foundation representatives, faculty members and college President Sunil Chand at the Grand Opening celebration.
Guests at the reception also received an in-depth demonstration of the incredible educational features provided by the Escoffier Culinary Theater. This one-of-a-kind kitchen theater is designed and looks much like a set from The Food Network. Students in the C.O.D. Hospitality program are able to view and review demonstrations by faculty members, guest chefs and prominent professionals, which are then recorded and posted on the Internet for easy access.
The Culinary Theater also provides students with an “edge” over cooking competitors once they finish their college studies. Guests at the Grand Opening were noticeably impressed with the theater’s ability to create “electronic portfolios” for students that showcase their kitchen finesse. When applying for a job, students can provide potential employers with a visual demonstration of their cooking skills “in action” that can be downloaded right onto their computers.
Click here to view a video clip from this event.
Escoffier Kitchen video for Dialup/56k
Escoffier Kitchen video for ISDN/128k
Escoffier Kitchen video for T1/300k
