By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

Using an evaluation form makes a difference in the way students work in small groups, encouraging them to provide feedback to each other.

Last month, we discussed using small groups in classes; this month, we will discuss peer evaluations as a way both to help students learn to work with other students and to assess their own work and the work of others.

Process
When I use small groups on long-term projects, one of the ways that I encourage students to work together more effectively is to require them to think about what contributions their fellow students make to the project work. An essential element of any final report is the submission, in hard copy, of a self evaluation and peer evaluations of each of the students in the small group.

By Adam Weiner

Chef Weiner completes his valuable student-handout series on purchasing and properly handling and caring for knives.

The articles for the last three months were written in a handout format for your students on how to buy knives/how knives are made, how to hone and sharpen knives and an introduction on how to use knives. This month’s article, again in a form to give out to your students, is about knife safety and care.

By Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE

A tool for exploring sustainable seafood.

If there’s one thing we educators all share, it’s a shortage of time. That’s why turn-key teaching tools, especially those that aren’t developed to promote a product, are manna from heaven. When it comes to sustainability, seafood is a particularly thorny issue because there really are no black-and-white answers. As Bon Appétit Management Company’s Helene Kennan, executive chef at Google, has said, “Sustainable seafood is the culinary challenge of the 21^st century.”

“Green Chefs, Blue Ocean” has arrived on the scene to help. Developed jointly by Chefs Collaborative, one of the most forward-thinking chefs’ organizations in the country, and the Blue Ocean Institute, this program can help you and your students explore the world of sustainable seafood.

By Michael Riggs, Ph.D, CEC, FMP

An educator returns from a summer excursion abroad with a new appreciation of community and culture communicated through food and cuisine.

Over the summer of 2010 I was given a unique opportunity to spend 14 days in England at Oxford University studying the history of European cuisine. First let me say that what took thousands of years to develop could not be researched in 14 days even with the 100 miles of books at the Oxford Bodleian Library. But what I did learn and experience came in the form of the best kind of research, eating and having conversations with chefs, restaurateurs and the people of the countries I visited: Let’s begin my journey…

[See part 1 of Riggs’ story of his journey by clicking here. The story concludes below.]

While in Oxford I was able to gain a solid understanding of English cuisine, its focus on fresh products, light meals, healthier cooking techniques (except for the pastries) and a more relaxed approach to dining as an event—not just something to somehow squeeze into the day. The diversity of ethnic cultures in Oxford and England as a whole has led to a wide selection of international cuisines with a great deal of authenticity in them in comparison to the “Americanized” international cuisines we commonly see in the United States.

Korean tacos, Southern comfort and “frugality fatigue” are among the leading restaurant trends predicted by Technomic for next year.

As the nation begins to emerge from recession, restaurants are seeing lapsed customers return. Same-store sales are inching up, signaling the industry’s initial rebound to health; hiring is also up, signaling positive expectations for 2011. But this isn’t the same restaurant industry as before. Big changes are on the way—on menus, in concept development and in the competitive landscape.

Technomic, the leading foodservice research and consulting firm, examines the future for restaurants through the lens of 40-plus years tracking the industry, and sees 11 top trends emerging in 2011: