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WSCA President
Tony Parker CEC, AAC, ACE
May 2016
Greetings Culinarians and Associates,
We have had a busy month and a half with all kinds of excitement.
Bite of Apprentice
Our Bite of Apprenticeship held April 11th was a huge success. We had 127 attendees show up for the event. This was the first year that the Washington State Chefs Association teamed up with the Washington State Restaurant Association Education Foundation to help support Prostart. All proceeds from this event went to help Prostart this year. Prostart is an integral part of our future foodservice cooks and chefs. The High Schools that have ProStart programs mentor young students giving them the opportunity to get a head start on learning the skills necessary to become a chef.
We had 14 different tables of skilled apprentices, colleges and professionals all trying to have the best bite of the show. The public that came to taste all of the wonderful appetizers were the judges for the event. Everyone that came received a voting ticket for the best apprentice table, one for the best college/professional and a final ticket for best overall in show. It was a very difficult decision to choose between all the fantastic choices presented. There was a warm lobster sandwich, a smoked salmon quesadilla, braised pork belly, incredible chocolates and hand-made marshmallows to name a few. It came down to a very close race for all categories.
The best apprentice award went to Luan Nguyen from Bell Harbor with his salmon lox with orange marmalade and his seared scallop with Asian sauce.
The best college/professional went to Bates Technical College with a scrumptious walnut chocolate tarte.
The best overall (people's choice) award went to Renton Technical College Baking program with an incredible display assorted chocolate truffles, bites and flavors. Tip, as she is known to all, did an amazing job creating an array of different chocolate delights.
This event could not have been this successful without the support of RTC catering and the Culinary Program headed up by Doug Medbury. The WSRAEF and Prostart will get a check for 1,000.00 from the WSCA as a result of this event.
Chef Connect Seminars
The Chef's Connect Seminars were held in Hawaii in April and I can't think of a better place to go and network with fellow chefs, culinarians and professionals than in that beautiful state. Of course there are some rules to follow; do not go to the beach and without putting copious amounts of sunscreen on the tops of your feet. I learned the hard way. The event was very informative and had some very good presenters. I had the opportunity to spend the day touring Parker ranch and learning about their cattle production on an island with multiple climates. Lake Washington Did our chapter proud representing us in the knowledge bowl. They did well but did not come away with the gold. They took 2nd with a silver. Great job Chef Janet and the team for consistently stepping up to represent the PNW.
Salon Competition
Our first International Salon competition is over and by all accounts was exceptional. I do not have the medal count from Chef Baldwin yet but will pass along the information as I get it. I am aware that RTC student Bren Alora received a Silver, RTC Tip received a Bronze and a Silver, Maria Ancira received a Bronze and Brandon LaVielle received a Silver and a Gold. Congratulations to all that competed. You can visit the Competitions page to find pictures and more details...
Jeune Commis National Competition
RTC Student Gabrielle Smith is traveling to Florida next month to represent the western region at the Jeune Commis National Competition. It is a mystery box competition where she will have 3 hours to prepare a three course meal for four and present it to the judges. The winner of this competition will travel to England for the Internationals. Let's all wish her the best at her first National competition.
Chaine des Rotisseurs
On a personal note I was recently inducted into the Seattle chapter of the Chaine des Rotisseurs. It was a grand event held at the Seattle Golf and Country Club. Chef David Engler created the wonderful dinner that was paired with exceptional wines for the event. The Chaine is all about helping young chefs and culinarians achieve their goals with opportunities and scholarships. The Chaine has helped local schools tremendously in the past and is a large supporter of the Apprenticeship program in our state. I know that working with an organization that has many of the same goals as the WSCA will be a benefit to our members and I am proud to belong to such an organization.
Governor's Inaugural Ball - January 11th, 2017
We were at our first full meeting with the governor's ball committee recently and for the most part it will be the same format and set up as 4 years ago. We will be sending out invitations to everyone that participated last time with information on a few changes. They are going to limit the number of chefs and students per table. When we know the number we will get that out. The drop off will be a little tighter with specific times arranged in advance for security purposes. We are doing the appetizers again and will be looking for at least 2000 per table. As we get more information out we will pass it along. The last Governor's ball was a huge success and this one will be even better.
Tony Parker CEC, AAC, ACE
"It's not enough to be busy-so too are the ants-the question is, what are you busy about?"
-Thoreau
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