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I feel a little bit like Billy Crystal who thanked all the members of the cast of his one man Broadway show when he won a Tony award. It would be my duty as president to thank the host of our May meeting. I will however, thank those members who attended. A great meal and some wonderful hospitality were shared. Rose Vasile won the bid on a beautiful basket donated by John Venturo, CEC, AAC. We got a chance to meet the faculty from Fairport Schools whom we are helping with the culinary camp. There were a few "no longer active" members present in addition to two potential members who left with applications.
It was no big surprise. There were no hanging chads, no recounts. Buffalo's Mark Wright, CEC, AAC is our Northeast Regional Vice President. Congratulations to Mark and the region. We can count Mark as a friend of ACF Rochester. In other news John Kinsella, CMC, CCE, AAC was elected President of ACF. Good luck to him and our federation.
At the time I am writing this message the location of two major events in our chapter remain undecided. First the September 18, 2005 Chef of the Year dinner for Lisa Cunliffe, CEC is down to two locations but not confirmed. By the June meeting we will have an answer and tickets should be available for members to take for sale. The second is the October 24th meeting when we hold the cook-off for next years COTY. If anyone can host that meeting please let me know. We need kitchen space for three cooks to prepare two plates and for the membership to watch. It has been done in public space over portable burners in the past but a kitchen line is preferable.
Remember that the June meeting will be at Foodlink. We are scheduled to start a tour of their facility just past 7:00 PM. Please arrive on time for the 6:30 business meeting. We have a by-law amendment to vote on and COTY Dinner plans to finalize. It should be a valuable experience to see what Foodlink offers and a great chance for the Chapter and Foodlink to form a partnership in fighting hunger in our community.
Foodlink would like to ask for chef volunteers to present a series of 20 minute food preparation demos at specific inner-city child-care locations where food is served. The demos will take place every Tuesday 7/12 - 8/23. The demos for example and last about 30 minutes. The following are a few ideas of the types of demos:
How to make simple homemade sausage
How to make homemade pasta
How to peel different types of melons, pineapples and fruits
How to cook simple Rice & Beans using coconut milk
Making and Seasoning Greens & Beans
The idea is to create items with some familiarity and ethnic appeal
Foodlink will provide the food and possibly help setup... and supervise... the chefs are really in a celebrity role.
When I joined the ACF West Virginia Chapter its president was a gentleman named Joe Campbell, CWC he wrote an article published in the National Culinary Review about the ACF. His theory was that the ACF was the provider of the lumber, hinges and knob. Each member, with help from fellow members, was responsible for the building of the door through which they could pass. On the other side was knowledge, camaraderie and a better world of culinary arts. Knowledge must be earned; it can not be absorbed in a vacuum. To stop learning is to stop growing. In the last presidential terms ACF Rochester has moved the business end of the chapter from the general meeting to the board. We have held some very informative demonstrations and shortened the duration of the time we spend at meetings. We took a poll and most said that Mondays would be a more convenient night for our meetings, we moved the meetings. As many of you who have supplied me with an e-mail address get a reminder the end of the week before the meeting. Dve DiNapoli is doing all he can to get the Stockpot to you on time. The materials are there…you must make the decision to open and walk through the door. It is hard to discern why a few hours a week with other dedicated culinarians is of little value to so many of you.
I hope to see more of you at our meetings and events.
Chef Paul
"Cooking is at once child's play and adult joy. And, cooking done with care is an act of love"
- Craig Clairborne
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