Cascade Culinary Institute earns national award

Press Release

Central Oregon Community College's Cascade Culinary Institute earns national award

CHICAGO-July 31, 2013:

The Cascade Culinary Institute at Central Oregon Community College received this year's CAF/Kendall College Green Award for exemplary practices in - and innovative teaching of - ecological sustainability. Kendall College and the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAF) presented 2013 CAF/Kendall College Green Award during a June reception at CAF's 9th-annual Leadership Conference for foodservice educators in Miami, Fla.

CCI's Jungers Culinary Center, which opened in late-2011, was built to Earth Advantage gold-certification standards. Successful management of day-to-day operations includes composting, recycling and use of green chemicals for ware washing. Additionally, CCI's public restaurant and student training lab, Elevation, focuses on locally sourced produce, proteins, cheeses and grains.

"Even more impressive is the institute's creation of one of the nation's first culinary-arts certificates in sustainable food systems," says Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE, HAAC, vice president of the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts and the Laureate International Universities Center of Excellence in Culinary Arts, who oversaw evaluation of award entries. "Students earning the certificate learn current industry standards of sustainable restaurant practices via a pioneering curriculum that includes applied growing and raising of farm plants and animals, applied harvesting and food-preservation principles, farm-to-table and sustainable-cuisine practices, and even a 200-hour internship in farming and regional agriculture."

According to Gene Fritz, M.Ed., director and executive chef of CCI, the new Sustainable Food Systems for Culinary Arts Certificate delivers instruction that directly relates to the theoretical aspects of sustainability within the restaurant industry and beyond. Through the National Restaurant Association's Conserve Sustainability Education Program, students gain critical understanding of energy conservation and operation assessment with the objective of positively influencing practices throughout their careers in foodservice.

"The overarching goal of this unique certificate is to educate future culinarians who will serve as both industry leaders and innovators in sustainability from a food-sourcing and operational perspective, while cultivating future chefs who are committed to environmental stewardship with positive economic outcomes," Fritz says.

This year marks the first that a runner-up culinary-training program received a CAF/Kendall College Green Award: Metro Tech High School in Phoenix. "Through a grant from the Science Foundation of Arizona, Metro Tech has launched many 'ecotech' projects such as a sustainable garden and orchard, rainwater harvesting, aquaponics, a riparian habitat, recycling and water-bottle refilling stations," Koetke says. "The school also opened Sustainable Table Caf, a fully operational eatery featuring local, sustainable foods prepared by culinary-arts students. These are remarkable achievements for any formal culinary-arts training program, but are particularly noteworthy for a high school."

As 2013 recipient of the Green Award, CCI received a cash prize of $1,000. Both CCI and Metro Tech High School received engraved plaques and complimentary full registrations to CAF's Leadership Conference.

The annual CAF/Kendall College Green Award, sponsored by Kendall College, is the first national award to recognize secondary and postsecondary culinary-arts and baking/pastry programs for their commitment to sustainability and teaching its tenets. The objective of the award is to build the body of sustainability resources in foodservice education. Selection criteria are based on the integration of sustainability into educational programs and/or operations.

Cascade Culinary Institute and Metro Tech High School join previous Green Award recipients Seattle Culinary Academy (2012); Colorado State University's hospitality-management program (2011); Technology Center of DuPage (2010), Addison, Ill.; and Johnson & Wales University's Charlotte, N.C., campus (2009).

About Kendall College:
Kendall College, founded in 1934, is located in Chicago, Illinois and is a member of the Laureate International Universities network. Kendall offers undergraduate degrees in business, culinary arts, early childhood education and hospitality management to a diverse and passionate community of more than 2200 students. The curriculum combines strong academics with practical experience and international educational opportunities that help give students in business, hospitality and culinary arts programs the skills and expertise to be leaders in their professions. Kendall College was ranked the number one program in Chicago for preparing students for careers in hospitality management and culinary arts in a survey of management at Chicago's leading hotels and Michelin Guide restaurants (ORC International - 2011 Survey). Kendall College is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), www.ncahlc.org; 1-312-263-0456. For more information, visit www.Kendall.edu.

About the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAF):
Founded in 2002, CAF links the foodservice classroom to the foodservice industry to provide needed resources to educators so that they may more successfully train students for vibrant, fulfilling careers in the ever-evolving foodservice industry. Through its Web portal, online magazine "The Gold Medal Classroom" and annual Leadership Conference, as well as its series of regional skills workshops nationwide, CAF is dedicated to addressing the unique needs of highly specialized professionals who wear two hats as culinarians and teachers. For more information, visit www.CafeMeetingPlace.com.