Did you ,miss our first virtual chapter meeting? Fear not as the meeting was recorded and may be foundhere!
Welcome to the new Board of Directors. We're meeting in order to set up another wonderful and educational experience for our membership. Please check back.
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The postponed September meeting, held October 5th, was one of the better attended meetings. As noted in the meeting announcement, nominations were made for next year’s officers. The nominations are as follows: President Peter Babcock 1st Vice President John Masi 2nd Vice President Ray Willey Secretary Millie Sayegh Treasurer Alicia Stern Holcomb Sgt. At Arms Enrique Fux Per the newly ratified By-Laws, there will only be four business meetings per year. The remainder of the year will be utilized for other events such as Certification classes, Field Trips, competitions, etc. We are always looking for great ideas! Chef Masi provided a brief recap of the National Convention. He attended as the Broward County chapters representative as well as a presenter.
New business was discussed: FIU International Dinner – Chef Masi provided information regarding this fund-raising event. We are very grateful as being the recipient of the funds raised so we’re looking for everyone’s support. The event will be held November 20th, starting at 6:00pm. If you would like to support this event, preparations for the dining event begins at 3:00pm. Interested? Please contact Chef John Masi via email at jmasi@fiu.edu (please put FIU EVENT in the subject line) or call 516-376-3726.
Prom Night at Joe DiMagio Children’s Hospital, October 13th– Chef Marsala Guzman shared information regarding this very special event. The “prom” is being held for those patients that were unable to attend their school prom due to their illness. There is still a need for volunteers to help prepare food at AiFL. If you are available, please show up at AiFL at noon on the day of the event.
Boys and Girls Club – Chef Eric shared that there is still many opportunities to support this important organization. Ideas include supporting cooking classes for the members.
Chef Eric provided a demonstration of making SIETEN, as gluten based protein. He created a tasty (and spicy) stir-fry for everyone to taste. This product is used mainly in Vegan dishes.
Our November meeting date will be announced shortly. This will be our election meeting. IMPORTANT – nominations are still being accepted for all positions. If nominating someone or offering to run please contact one of the officers or send an email to acfbroward@gmail.com. Nominations will close October 23rd. Please provide a brief biography about yourself as well as answering “What I would bring to this role.” Finally, we are looking for ideas for our holiday gathering. Last year’s event at Funky Buddha was well attended and a lot of fun! Email your ideas to acfbroward@gmail.com.
POSTPONMENT OF SEPTEMBER MEETING! The new date for this important meeting is October 5th at 4pm. Same location. See you there!
The next Broward County ACF meeting will be held Thursday, September 28th at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale’s Chef’s Palette. The meeting will begin promptly at 5:00pm. This will be a very important business meeting that will focus on the future of the chapter. Election of officers is slated for November. If you have any interest in running for one of the openings, please be sure to come forward. All the officer positions are open as well as acknowledging anyone that would like to chair a committee. Please refer to your bylaws that were recently ratified for descriptions and responsibilities of the officer’s roles.
The officers are: President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.
Committees are: Membership, Education, Community Outreach, Fund Raising/ Special Events, Competitions and Junior ACF Mentor.
As a business meeting, along with the President’s message, there will be financial and membership updates. Other agenda items include highlights of the National ACF Convention attended in July by Chef Masi, discussion of supporting FIU’s International Cuisine Classes end of semester project (November), scheduling 2018 business meetings (four per year), furthering our partnership with the Boy’s and Girl’s Club and sharing ideas for future social events. It is a full agenda. Please contact Chef Eric if there is a specific topic you want added to the agenda. It’s important that all our voices are heard. There will be door prizes!
Let’s Go Bowling! The July Social was attended by Broward ACF members, family and friends. Manor Lanes (manorlanesfl.com) were very accommodating with the adjusted headcount. Though there weren’t any pros in our teams, we all exceeded our personal expectations! Be on the lookout for information regarding our August meeting. Elections are coming up. If you have any interest in serving as an officer or committee chairperson, let yourself be known. Now that we have officially changed our name to Broward County ACF, we have a great opportunity to expand our membership and offerings.
Bitter is Better! June Meeting recap. June’s Fort Lauderdale ACF meeting was held at FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. After a brief business meeting including an update on the Chapter’s By Laws, Chef John Noble-Masi enlightened us on the benefits of Green Leafy Greens. Some of the benefits shared were the greens are anti-inflammatory, supporting both your heart and bone health. Chef Masi cited three studies including Dr. Furhman’s rating of various vegetables on their health benefits. Conversations evolved around how many green veggies are part of our comfort foods – think Bok Choy (Asian), Chard (European) and Collards (Southern U.S.). Chef Masi stressed how important attending ACF meeting’s educational presentations are for the membership. Afterwards, attendees had the opportunity of tasting various greens, including watercress, kale and two varieties of dandelions. All offered different levels of bitterness. Many thanks to Chef Masi!!
Another benefit of our meeting was a beer tasting presented by FIU’s Professor/Dr. Barry Gump. We had the opportunity of tasting three varieties -an IPA, a Gruit (a pre-hops type of beverage) and a Whit-beer - all were very well received.
Be on the lookout for the Evite to our bowling outing planned for July 22nd at Manors Lanes in Wilton Manors. The cost covers three games, shoe rental, non-alcoholic beverages and bar grub.
Following is a recount of our visit to the USS New York penned by our president, Eric Schlossberg. It was a great opportunity for those in attendance. Special thanks goes to Marcela Guzman for making the arrangements.
Our May meeting was a fascinating tour of the USS New York (LPD-21), which was docked in Port Everglades. It is an amphibious transport dock, and the first to be designed fully from the CAD-screen up to support all the Marines' primary mobility capabilities—Landing Craft Air Cushion and MV-22B Osprey. As we approached the ship for boarding it was explained that 7.5 short tons (6.8 t) of the steel used in the ship's construction came from the rubble of the World Trade Center. Upon entering the ship and throughout the tour it was very impressive how they used other parts of the World Trade Center in addition to many other types of artifacts to decorate and inspire through a heavy New York theme. We began with an introduction of some of the vehicles the ship utilizes as well as an explanation of how the ship operates in its main function. We were then taken around by various Marines to show and explain different types of weaponry and devices that they use to include mortars, machine guns, sniper teams and drones. Towards the end of the tour we got a wonderful private tour of the galley where not only did we walk around to see their kitchen setup and equipment they use, but had interesting conversations with the kitchen crew and officers who showed us not only the regular mess hall procedures, but also the officers area and kitchen. They explained what their day is like and what a shift consists of. The types of food they must prepare as ordered and with Absolut consideration to nutrition. A great deal of the food is transported to them from supply ships and pending the scenario can contain mostly canned and ready-made foods. It was surprising how small their cold storage was, but with understanding their procedures and supply runs it all came together. The crew is careful about waste and gives great effort to effectively conserve food items. They are planned to give three square meals a day, but attempts to provide a late-night snack if the supply allows, which should be a great motivator. It was very inspiring to hear all the soldier’s stories, what they did before working in the kitchen, how they got to the galley, and what their plans were after they have served our country. We have a great deal of appreciation and respect for their service and are humbled that they took their time to show us around their kitchen. - Eric Schlossberg, president The board wants to wish everyone a safe Memorial Day and asks that everyone take a moment to remember why we celebrate this day. We honor the women and men that have served our country, too many giving their lives for our freedom. To kick your holiday weekend off, how about trying some of the following holiday recipes?
April’s meeting was held at yourProKitchen, a shared kitchen and culinary incubator. After a brief business meeting, owner Vicky Colas gave a short video presentation followed by a tour of the facility. With both savory and baking kitchens, yourProKitchen provides the basic need for any Personal Chef or Caterer. From the educational aspect of our meeting (and well-earned CEHs) participants were shown multiple ways of braiding breads. This activity was led my Chef D of the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. The bread was baked and enjoyed by most. Rick Schneider, owner of Raquelitas Tortillas, visited our chapter from Colorado with many samples of his tortilla and chips products. Thanks to Chef Mika for arranging his visit. Chef Eric, our President, ending the formal meeting with numerous samples of Caribbean soft drinks as well as a product, which name escapes this writer, for our tasting pleasure. May’s meeting will be held onboard a U.S. Naval ship, with a tour of the ship and its galley. This trip was arranged by Chef Marcela and was limited by its registrations cut-off of April 11th. Thanks to Chef Eric and all of the board members and general members that put together these great meetings! Your Pro Kitchen 5007 N. Hiatus Road, Sunrise Florida 33351
The March meeting was held at West Boca Community High School. It was a joint meeting with the Palm Beach chapter. The student competition and the tasting was a great success. Chef Ray Willey mentored one team for the tasting, creating a Chicken Cacciatore. Students Hannah and Jorge were shown how to break down a chicken which was the intent as an educational opportunity.
Next month's meeting news is forthcoming.
The February meeting was held on Monday the 13th at Mojo Restaurant and Lounge. After a brief business meeting, attendees participated in an educational presentation by Philippe Bellande from Scavi & Ray Winery. Philippe introduced Scavi & Ray, shared the differences between other "Bubbly" such as Champagne and Cava (do you know the difference?), all while enjoying a tasting of their Prosecco Spumante DOC, Moscato and Lambrusco. Door prizes were awarded after a short knowledge quiz. All the while, we were taken care of by the Sean of Mojo's, who provided water during the tasting and wonderful service as we ordered an array of appetizers and main dishes - all served with Scavi & Ray beverages that were offered from the bar. Many thanks to Philippe Sr. and Jr., Chef Dom and Anthony!
Our next meeting will be held with the Palm Beach chapter. Details to follow!
(Special thanks to our roving photographer - Millie!!)
January Meeting Highlights: Chef Morgan Nims representing Rational, a food service solutions company, offered a very informative demonstration of their SelfCookingCenter®. A Combo oven (Steam and Convection) simplifies and minimizes the daily work in the professional kitchen. Broward Chapter ACF members in attendance were delighted by dishes professionally prepared in the combo unit including Butternut Squash ravioli, Sliders topped with quail eggs, French fries, Lamb chops served with grilled polenta and scrumptious cookies. Yes, everything was prepared in the combo - amazing! Thank you to Chef Nims!