Hello,

Exciting times here at the Clovis campus as we have two students training with a world class Chinese chef and another making in roads with top chefs around the world, i.e., Napa Valley and Spain.

Just goes to show how far students can reach once they obtain some knowledge and skills, and follow their culinary passions.

These students are all great examples of what can be accomplished when students put in max effort and make their culinary desires known.

Chef Don Waddell

Hey All,

Computer access has been a headache for the past weeks while I escorted our first culinary cohort to our first Culinary European Experience.  What a great opportunity for these students to experience some of the best food in the world.  Black Forest ham, pate de foie gras, unbelievable cheeses and cool wines.  All of our Culinary Arts Professional graduates will be treated to this remarkable experience!  This opportunity will truly enrich our culinary graduates’ appreciation of outstanding food.  I am truly anxious for many more of our students to experience this wonderful, educational, and enriching experience.

Chef Don Waddell, C.C.

Hello,

I am over in France with the first European Experience to take place with IOT.  What an exciting opportunity this has been and will be for future students that graduate from the Culinary Arts Professional program.

Upon arriving in Frankfurt, Germany yesterday we rode a bus down to Heidelburg, Germany did some sightseeing and took a guided tour of the city.  We finished the day with an outstanding BBQ buffet here at the Chateau.  Man, some really good eats were enjoyed by all.

Today we took a really cool river boat tour of the Ill River in Strasbourg, France.  Many of us consumed some really good quality choucoute and the whole group got to experience an outstanding cheese lecture and tasting at a Strasbourg restaurant called La Cloche a Fromage.  Finished up the day with some tasty tarte flambe and are now back at the Chateau and Chalet.  Good night and I hope everyone takes advantage of this wonderful opportunity.

Blog ya next from somewhere here in Europe.

Hello all,

Exciting times for the culinary program as we draw closer to the school’s first European Experience.  I’m pretty pumped as I will be going to France and Germany with our first group to participate in this fantastic learning opportunity.  For all Culinary Arts Program students this will, in many cases, be the opportunity of a lifetime.  This opportunity should really assist students in getting the big picture of the hospitality industry in general and food service in particular.

Chef Don

Here in Clovis we’re gearing up for another round of ACF practical testing on June 20th.  We have room for many more participants and this opportunity is open to anyone in the industry looking to obtain ACF certification at nearly any level.  Testing will begin at 8:30 a.m. on the 20^th.

The ACF chapter for the San Joaquin Valley met last night at the Rich’s Products offices and lab.  We had 20 students in attendance, many of whom had little or no cake decorating experience.  Some of our students from the Baking Professional Specialist program did display some pretty strong cake decorating capabilities.  They all got to learn alongside our top notch baking and pastry chefs and a Certified Master Baker.  A great time was had by all.

Chef Don

Our students are always involved in cool cooking opportunities!  Several of our past and a couple of current students recently participated in a white linen catered affair for the Governator and 150 of his Fresno area supporters.  The affair took place at a supporter’s palatial residence here in town.  The students (past and present) were way jazzed. 

One of our recent grads is taking a big bite out of Europe this summer.  Josh Pearl was selected as one of 25 culinary students from around the United States to cook at the American Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.  Josh is there now and will be cooking there for the next couple of weeks.  When he’s done with that great gig, it looks like he’s going to come home for a week or so, and then join us for 13 days in northern France and southern Germany for the school’s first European Experience for Culinary Arts Professional graduates.  What a great culinary summer!!  Hope all of you are working towards these kind of neat opportunities.  Want to get there? Let us know, that’s what we are here for.

                                                                        Culinarily Yours,

Chef Don Waddell

Hey All,

Very cool. One of our CAP graduates, Joshua Pearl, was selected out of a nationwide search to participate in at the American Pavilion at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France. Josh is going to extend his European experience through August, as I understand it. During this time he also plans to take part in the CAP European Experience in France and Germany during July.

Chef Don