Taste the Future at CSCC {Giveaway!}

Culinary school has always been a fascination to me. People from all walks of life end up in school to train how to stand behind a hot stove for long hours. Why?

Columbus State Community College (CSCC) invited me to find out. Anna and I sat in on an International Cuisine course session, part of the culinary apprenticeship program.

Making of a Chef, Columbus State Style

Columbus State has a dual approach of intense classroom instruction combined with 6000 hours of apprentice work. Students learn about everything from sanitation to accounting, and menu planning to food preparation in the culinary apprenticeship program. They graduate with an associates degree and three years of restaurant experience.

By the time I met the third year students in the International Cuisine class I observed, they knew their way around the well-stocked kitchen. Prep work was focused and jolly. Students sought the advice of instructor James Taylor, Certified Executive Chef, as needed.

I chatted with students about their aspirations. Many were looking forward to continuing in their apprentice kitchens after graduation. One wants to find a place in a military base, as her husband recently enlisted in the Army. Another hopes to continue on to a fine pastry school, such as the Le Cordon Blue.

Taylor provided some additional insight into why a person might come to CSCC: for the confidence to cook great things. Taylor teaches students that a "recipe isn't a be all, end all thing - it doesn't excuse you from using your brain."

Joking voices were replaced by pans clanking on stove grates and the sizzle of meat on the grill as the plating deadline approached. The teaching kitchen was a whir of activity.

Students delivered their dishes to a central table where they were gently critiqued by Taylor. The chefs-to-be analyzed their own work too, guessing why dishes prepared with the same recipe looked different and evaluating plating looks. Students practiced using the dish tank before serving themselves. As we tasted the dishes together, the students were clearly exhausted but endeared to this program.

Taste the Future

Low tuition is a hallmark of the community college system, as is a strong scholarship system. Taste the Future is Columbus State's nod to their successful culinary program and their biggest community fund raising event.

At Taste the Future, visitors enjoy drinks, music, and tastes of the finest dishes chefs have to offer. Many participants are CSCC graduates who return at Taste to give back to their school. Read the Hounds in the Kitchen 2009 Taste the Future recap for an idea of what the event entails.

This year's Taste the Future will be held on September 13, 2011 from 5:30 to 9 pm. Tickets are $100 each, available online or by calling 614-287-2436.

Giveaway (Now Closed)

Wish you could spend an evening sampling chefs' best at Taste the Future? You can! Organizers provided me with two pairs of tickets to giveaway.

To enter, leave a comment below with the offering you most wish to try at Taste the Future 2011. The menu of dishes is expanding every day.

Giveaway Details:

Contest entries close at 12:01 AM EST on Tuesday, September 6. Two winners will be selected with random.org. Winners will have 24 hours to respond to email notification with their mailing address for delivery of the tickets.

Winners must have a US address. Only one entry per person please.

Retail value of each pair of tickets is $200. Tickets are for the 2011 Taste the Future event held on September 13, 2011 at Columbus State Community College Downtown campus, 550 East Spring Street, Columbus, OH 43215.

Disclosure: I received a pair of tickets to Taste the Future, a tour, lunch, and tastes at the cooking class. All opinions are my own.

Taste the Future

A few days ago I participated in a twitter contest hosted by local blogger Columbus Foodie. I won a pair of tickets to Taste the Future, Columbus State Community College (CSCC)'s fundraiser food tasting!

We arrived at an inner plaza in the urban CSCC campus.  I had no idea they had such a beautiful spacious commons.

Our wrist bands came with five drink tickets.  It is no surprise that we quickly made our way to  a drink stand.  The beer and wine selection was mediocre, but five drinks of even mediocre booze has merits.

I always attend charity food events with a bit of hesitation.  Will they have vegetarian friendly food?  Is anything sourced locally?  Are they doing anything to control waste?

The answer in Taste of the Future's case is Yes, Yes, and Yes.

Many vendors were happy to give me meat-free versions of their tasting bites.  The grits at G. Michael's were amazing.  Several tables had mushroom based appetizers, the Mitchell's Steakhouse having the best of those I tasted.  (I verified with the chef later that the vegetarian appearing dish did contain the veal demi glace I tasted. Oh well, it was delicious.)  I had a number of vegetarian soups and desserts.

Quite a few restaurants featured local ingredients.  Every time I saw this claim, I asked where exactly they sourced their produce.  Local is a subjective word, after all.  Several mentioned their Ohio tomatoes came from big distributors like Sysco and Roth.  I am glad to see they are making attempts to include state-local producers.

Bel Lago Bistro takes the cake for most local.  Located on the Hoover Reservoir, the Bel Lago  chef Jeff and his wife grow much of their restaurant's produce in an organic garden on restaurant property.  Their entire table was decorated with homegrown produce and their feature dish, a caprese salad, included heirloom tomatoes and basil from their own garden.  He also told us about a relationship with Westerville School's high school hydroponics class as a source of year round herbs.  We will visit Bel Lago soon to check out their entire menu.  Note: Their website projects, as so many restaurants do, a loud soundtrack.  You have been warned.

The CSCC commitment to waste-reduction throughout the event was well integrated and publicized.  Nearly all the tableware (plates, utensils, and cups) was compostable and labeled trash cans directed patrons to separate compostable and recyclable trash.  I even heard an announcement from the jazz stage directing people how to use these receptacles.  Having been at other tasting events that involved a whole lotta styrofoam, I very much appreciate the footprint reducing efforts.

The Columbus Fish Market took a risk and brought raw oysters to Taste the Future. The Mid Western palate isn't always attuned to oysters, nor is warm weather conducive to keeping raw fish fresh.  We talked to the chef and the oysters were as local as you can get here in Ohio - they were Connecticut Blue Point Oysters.  Small batches were refrigerated indoors, brought out to a huge cooler full of ice, and hand shucked right before service.  Alex, with his New England roots, enjoyed both the raw on the half shell oyster and a oyster/greygoose vodka/cocktail sauce shooter.

Another top taste pick from the evening was Sage's crispy pork belly with jalapeno ketchup.  I tried a bit of the ketchup and it was outstanding.  I love a restaurant that not only makes outstanding a la minute sauces but also fine reductions. Unfortunately the pork belly dish was flying off the table so fast that I didn't get a good picture.

I have been saying for years that Jeni's Ice Cream is the best ice cream in America.  I was surprised at the number of people in line who clearly had not tasted her frozen goodness before.  Beyond the superb taste, Jeni is passionate about using sustainably raised Ohio ingredients. Generous scoops of Sweet Corn with Black Raspberry and Berries and Burgundy were the perfect ending for our evening.

Although the event was free for us, Alex and I agreed that Taste the Future would be worth the $100 per ticket.  The atmosphere was fun, yet not crowded.  We waited in only a few lines and there was plenty of space to sit and enjoy dishes when we wished.   Thanks again, Columbus Foodie, for making our tasting possible.