Culinary educators are more than instructors. They are cooks, chefs and foodservice professionals who also teach in high schools, colleges and universities. They have dual challenges, staying abreast of the latest educational pedagogy as well as the latest culinary trends. A tall order to be sure.

The Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAFÉ) helps with the shifting demands placed on instructors of culinary arts. CAFÉ accomplishes its mission by producing the informative and bi-weekly CAFÉ Talks Podcasts, organizing retreats and conferences for deans, directors and teachers, as well as publishing the monthly Gold Medal Classroom (GMC) ezine sent to more than 3,000 foodservice professionals. This is in addition to hosting the CAFÉ Meeting Place website which houses resources including all the past articles from GMC and resources including a job board, lesson plans, teaching tips and a listing of industry resources.

For instance, CAFÉ Talks Podcast is in its third season with over 50 episodes hosted by Paul Sorgule, MS, AAC, president of Harvest America Ventures and Gold Medal Classroom Think Tank author. The latest installment is a fascinating talk with Chef Robert Dumas, food science innovation coordinator at the University of Maine, regarding the importance of foundations to unlock the possibilities of innovation. Listeners will also learn about Chef Dumas’s experience on a Navy submarine that led him through the White House kitchens to finally professionally land in an educational setting.

The upcoming 2023 annual Leadership Conference and Deans and Director’s retreat will focus on the unique challenges of culinary education’s recruitment and retention strategies. Although the final decision on location and timing was not final at the time of this article’s posting, those details will be made available by the end of September. Also, be on the lookout for CAFÉ’s requests for Best Practices presentation proposals for the Leadership Conference. Authors of the selected presentations receive a discount to attend the conference.    

In case you missed it, click here to view the photos from the 2022 Leadership Conference and Deans and Director’s events which occurred last June at Southern Maine Community College.

Finally, GMC readers can access all past articles by going to the feature article landing page on CAFÉ’s website. Also, don’t miss the newest series “Chef Profile: Career Path Insights.” These monthly spotlights focus on professional chefs from various facets of the foodservice industry. Culinarians answer questions delving into their views of current foodservice developments and how culinary students can obtain positions within different industries. Instructors have the opportunity to introduce their students to a plethora of foodservice career options