Brian Beland

April 11, 2022 by mlemon

There are fewer than 80 Certified Master Chefs in the world

Schoolcraft College is on its way to having two members of its faculty become Certified Master Chefs® (CMC) as both Chef Paul Grosz and Chef Drew Sayes advanced out of Segment 1 of the recent American Culinary Federation’s (ACF) CMC exams.

The exams were held March 18-21 in the American Harvest restaurant in the VisTaTech Center on the main campus of Schoolcraft College. Segment 2 will be held later this year.

Chef Grosz and Chef Sayes — Chef Paul Grosz (left) and Chef Drew Sayes are each full-time instructors.

A CMC is considered the highest level of the profession, and demonstrates mastery of culinary competence and expertise through education, experience, knowledge and skills consistent with the master chef level. The exam was first commissioned and offered in 1981.

There are fewer than 80 Certified Master Chefs in the world, with Brian Beland, Schoolcraft College’s Department Chair of Culinary Arts, among those to hold this distinguished ranking. In addition, faculty member Joseph Decker is a Certified Master Pastry Chef® (CMPC).

Chef Grosz serves as full-time instructor and currently teaches classes associated with the American Harvest lunch service. He is co-proprietor and Chef of Cuisine Restaurant. Chef Sayes, a 2003 Oakland Community College graduate, has been a full-time instructor since January.

“We are extremely happy for the excellent results by Chef Grosz and Chef Sayes in Segment 1 of the CMC exams,” Chef Beland said. “We wish them the very best on Segment 2 and have every confidence they will do well.”

To apply for the exam, candidates must already be a Certified Executive Chef or Certified Culinary Educator, provide a letter of recommendation from current CMCs or CMPCs, and have completed education courses on sanitation and food safety, management, cost management and wine.

Chef Drew Sayes goes through one of the four modules in the Certified Master Chefs exam.

The exam modules included:

Freestyle Cuisine
Healthy Cooking
Global Cuisines
Pastry and Baking

Both Chef Grosz and Chef Sayes shared feelings of relief after the grueling exam wrapped up.

“When (it was over), I felt a bit of relieve and accomplishment, but only for a short time knowing that Segment 2 is not far behind,” Chef Grosz said. “The work is not done. We’ll take a short break, then start practicing for an excruciating next part of the exam.”

Chef Sayes echoed those thoughts.

“When the exam concluded, I was relieved and exhausted,” he said. “I was also slightly disappointed that it ended. I was gaining a lot of momentum and confidence going through each discipline; I wanted to continue and carry that into the next segment.”

Chef Grosz — In addition to teaching, Chef Paul Grosz is co-proprietor and Chef of Cuisine Restaurant.

Despite the intense pressure, each Chef felt the exam went well.

“It was the most intense experience I’ve had in my career,” Chef Sayes said. “It was challenging to adjust my mindset each day and mentally preparing for the next discipline. Lack of sleep caused by constantly thinking about what’s next also made it difficult to focus on the task at hand. Through all of that, it was a great experience and I ended up having a lot of fun throughout the process.”

Added Chef Grosz: “I feel the CMC exam went very well. What I enjoyed mostly out of it was the adrenaline during the cooking time period while we were being judged on every move we made. Cooking at the highest level in a time limited situation while experts in the field were scrutinizing everything you did was very nerve-wracking.”

Each is looking forward to the next phase of the exam.

“There’s still a lot of work to do,” Chef Sayes said. “Luckily, I’m able to take the summer and prepare. I’m looking forward to the next challenge.”

Chef Grosz also emphasized how learning never stops, taking the American Master Chefs’ Order’s motto of “Forever the Student” to heart.

“This has been 30 years in the making for myself because as a chef we continue to always learn,” he said. “Taking this exam has made me a better person, a better chef and ultimately a better instructor. I just want to thank everyone for all their support as we continue this journey. My family, Schoolcraft, my fellow instructors and the staff at Cuisine. Without their support, this would not be possible.”

Learn more about Schoolcraft College’s Culinary Arts program.

March 28, 2022 by Schoolcraft College

Changes will prepare students for rapidly changing industry

The restaurant business has changed rapidly in a short time. Schoolcraft College is preparing its Culinary Arts students for the ever-evolving realities of this complex industry by updating several areas of the curriculum. The new curriculum has launched and will be available in the fall of 2022.

“With the help of industry experts who provide valuable feedback, data from graduate and employer surveys, plus input from other valued sources within Schoolcraft College and beyond, we’ve adjusted our curriculum and programming to better train our students to become valued employees and leaders in the restaurant industry,” said Brian Beland, Certified Master Chef (CMC*) and Department Chair of Culinary Arts.

The goal is to raise competency levels for the students and improve skill sets in several key areas in cooking and operations.

Christopher C. Misiak, CCE**, CEC***, Program Coordinator for Culinary Arts, and 2016 National ACF Chef Instructor of the Year, was instrumental in helping develop the new curriculum. “A culinary curriculum must stay in tune with the industry standards and trends,” he said. “After a lengthy process of analysis, we were able to identify six additional program outcomes that needed to be addressed in the new curriculum.”

These newly identified outcome were:

Apply nutritional concepts to menus
Increased focus and repetition on fundamental cooking principles
Perform advanced butchery skills
Understand restaurant financial controls
Incorporation of alcohol service and accountability
Improve time-management skills

“These new outcomes were directly involved in the development of the new classes,” Chef Misiak said. “From them we created two new foundation cooking classes in the first year; a new nutritional class was created that included an emphasis on lab production; wine and spirits, once an elective choice, is now in the core program; and we expanded our restaurant classes hours to promote a better learning environment for the student.”

To reflect the updated curriculum, the program will be called Professional Culinary Arts and offer the following credentials.

Professional Culinary Arts Skills Certificate – 21 credits
Professional Culinary Arts Certificate – 43 credits
Professional Culinary Arts Associate in Applied Science (AAS) Degree – 60-66 credits

The program is stackable to a Bachelor of Science Degree in Culinary and Dietary Operations and is certified by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation (ACFEF).

A closer look at what’s new

Students in the Certificate and AAS tracks will especially benefit from the impact of the updated and new courses. “These courses are especially key to teaching new competencies required by the industry,” Chef Beland said. “In some cases, we were able to streamline. With CUL 125, for example, we included material previously covered in the advanced pastry class. Further, we built both CUL 210 and CUL 245 to support the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation requirements and industry expectations.”

New courses include:

CUL 125 – Foundations of Classical and Contemporary Pastry
CUL 130 – Foundations of Cooking A (Dry Heat Cookery)
CUL 135 – Foundations of Cooking B (Moist Heat Cookery)
CUL 210 – Wine and Spirits
CUL 245 – Foundations in Healthy Cooking

High school students can get an early start

Schoolcraft College has articulation (transfer) agreements with several area school districts that can allow high school students to complete their prerequisites. These districts are:

Livonia Public Schools
Oakland County Public School District
Plymouth-Canton Public Schools
Saline Public Schools

Agreements in place with those districts allow students to receive credit for CUL 102 (Culinary Sanitation) and CUL 103 (Introduction to Professional Cooking Skills and Techniques) before entering Schoolcraft College.

Learn more about Schoolcraft College’s Culinary Arts program.

* CMC – stands for Certified Master Chef (CMC) from the American Culinary Federation (ACF)

** CCE – stands for Certified Culinary Educator® (CCE®) from the American Culinary Federation (ACF)

*** CEC – stands for Certified Executive Chef® (CCE®) from the American Culinary Federation (ACF)

March 16, 2022 by Schoolcraft College

There are fewer than 80 Certified Master Chefs in the world

Schoolcraft College will be the site of Segment 1 of the American Culinary Federation’s (ACF) Certified Master Chef® (CMC) exams starting Friday, March 18, through Monday, March 21, in the American Harvest restaurant in the VisTaTech Center.

“Schoolcraft College was selected as an approved Certified Master Chef testing site by the American Culinary Federation,” said Jonathan Moosmiller, CMC and American Master Chefs Order (AMCO) President. “The criteria included excellence in educational programming and strong leadership. The Certified Master Chefs program has worked with Schoolcraft College for many years, assisting in providing CMC chefs as Schoolcraft Instructors. The American Master Chefs Order is proud to continue this partnership with Schoolcraft College and the American Culinary Federation.”

“We are honored to welcome this group of exceptional chefs to Schoolcraft as they look to demonstrate, and validate, their mastery of cuisine in their pursuit of earning the Certified Master Chef designation,” Chef Beland said. “Schoolcraft College Culinary Arts students have benefited from the world-class kitchens and instructional environment for many years, and we are excited to share what we have the privilege to experience daily with them.

“Hosting the CMC exam is a great opportunity for the students in the program as well. The students are able to experience highest level of practical culinary certification first hand by supporting the exam candidates and evaluators as kitchen apprentices and hospitality support services. This gives the students personal interaction opportunities and experience in ‘the arena’ feeling the pressure and seeing the intense focus.”

The facilities in American Harvest include:

70-seat full-service restaurant
5 fully outfitted kitchen labs dedicated to the various skill competencies of the craft
Collaboration with Schoolcraft Brewing and Distillation program
Retail Café Market space
Construction of a new Demonstration and Innovation Center recently approved with construction scheduled to begin later this year

three master chefs — Brian Beland (center), Schoolcraft College’s Department Chair of Culinary Arts; is shown with Shawn J. Loving (right), who previously held that role; and Michael Russell. Each is a Certified Master Chef.

The exam schedule begins on Friday, March 18, with Freestyle Cuisine. Healthy Cooking follows on Saturday, March 19, then Global Cuisines on Sunday, March 20. Pastries and Baking concludes the exam on Monday, March 21.

Schoolcraft College’s Proud Heritage of Culinary Arts

Herman Breithaupt is credited with establishing Schoolcraft College’s Culinary Arts program in 1966, with his son, Robert Breithaupt, directing the department later that year.

“We began the first year with 16 students,” Robert said. “After that we had a list of students waiting to get into the program, and it has continued that way to the present day.”*

Schoolcraft College is continuing to prepare its Culinary Arts students for the ever-evolving realities of the complex restaurant industry by updating several areas of the curriculum.

“With the help of industry experts who provided valuable feedback, data from surveys from students and employers, plus input from other valued sources within Schoolcraft College and beyond, we’ve adjusted our curriculum and programming to better train our students to become valued employees and leaders in the restaurant industry,” Chef Beland said.

The goal is to raise competency and improve skill sets in several key areas in cooking and operations, including:

Apply nutritional concepts to menus
Demonstrate fundamental cooking principles
Perform advanced butchery skills
Understand restaurant financial controls
Incorporation of alcohol service and accountability
Improve time management skills
Increased focus on baking/pastry

To reflect the updated curriculum, the program will be called Professional Culinary Arts and offer the following:

Professional Culinary Arts Skills Certificate – 21 credits
Professional Culinary Arts Certificate – 43 credits
Professional Culinary Arts Associate in Applied Science (AAS) Degree – 60-66 credits

The program is stackable to a Bachelor of Science Degree in Culinary and Dietary Operations and is certified by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation (ACFEF).

Learn more about Schoolcraft College’s Culinary Arts program.

*From Page 68 of “Reaching Out … A History of Schoolcraft College” by Samuel Hudson.

August 30, 2021 by Schoolcraft College

Austin Hannah with two dishes in hands — Austin Hannah, who started at Schoolcraft College in 2018, shows the dishes he prepared for the National Student Chef of the Year competition sponsored by the American Culinary Federation. Hannah earned the top score in Hot Foods and finished second overall in the competition.

Student creates appetizer, entrée

Austin Hannah had to wait more than a year to demonstrate his skills in a national competition. Once he had that opportunity, the Culinary Arts student impressed the judges to earn second place overall in the National Student Chef of the Year competition. The event was sponsored by the American Culinary Federation (ACF) and held Aug. 2-5 in Orlando, Florida.

Hannah competed in the Hot Foods division and placed first in that category. The first overall winner, Marissa Brazell of Oregon Coast Culinary Institute, competed in Pastry. A total of 11 students – eight in Hot Foods, three in Pastry – competed.

“Overall it was an amazing experience and I’m very appreciative of Schoolcraft College allowing me to go,” Hannah said. “I also appreciate the support and mentorship from Certified Executive Chef Chris Misiak, who accompanied me to Orlando, as well as Certified Master Chef Brian Beland and Certified Master Chef Shawn J. Loving.”

Hannah was to have competed in the ACF nationals in 2020, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He earned the spot by winning his area competition and was one of five students from the Central Region.

“Overall it was an amazing experience and I’m very appreciative of Schoolcraft College allowing me to go.”
Austin Hannah, Schoolcraft College Culinary Arts student

For the national competition, Hannah had to prepare four portions each of an appetizer and an entrée in two hours.

The appetizer consisted of:

Butter-poached lobster
Butter-poached scallops
Green leek puree as a base
Pickled leeks
Ricotta
Pancetta (a sort of cured bacon)

The entrée consisted of:

Flat-iron steak covered in Ras el Hanout (a Middle Eastern spice)
Eggplant puree
Involtini-stuffed eggplant with persillade bread crumbles to provide a crisp texture
Quinoa tabbouleh
Cucumber salad with yogurt, garlic and dill
Kafta meatball
Apricot-lemon marmalade
Pistachios

Extensive practice and preparation

Each selection was developed based on the list of ingredients provided to each competitor and after consulting with the chefs at Schoolcraft College. Hannah practiced literally hundreds of hours to get ready.

“With the help and support of the College, Austin was able to practice and refine his menus over the spring and summer in preparation for the competition,” Chef Misiak said. “Austin was able to have both Chef Shawn Loving, CMC, and Chef Brian Beland, CMC, coach and host practice sessions prior to the competition. This was critical to Austin’s success.”

Hannah’s goal was to create “global” flavors with each plate, starting with the appetizer.

“The seafood appetizer with the lobster and scallops was created to have a very French or European feel with very subtle flavors to let the seafood speak for itself,” he said. “The saltiness of the pancetta also reminds you of the sea. Then, because the competition was in Florida, we wanted to bring in the orange to reflect the seasonality and location.”

The same strategy carried through to the entrée.

“With the entrée, I wanted to do my own take on Middle Eastern cuisine mixed with Mediterranean style,” Hannah said. “The tabbouleh, kafta and Ras el Hanout spice are all Middle Eastern flavors that have inspired me on these plates. The quinoa tabbouleh was heavily herbed to bring that vibe to the plate.”

The spiciness was complemented by the cucumber salad to help cleanse the palate and by the marmalade to add a bit of sweetness.

Austin Hannah spent hundreds of hours practicing his dishes for the National Student Chef of the Year competition. He’s grateful to the Culinary Arts faculty for their expertise and support in preparing for this prestigious event.

Enthusiastic reception by the judges

Hannah’s work was reviewed by three floor judges, who graded him on overall professionalism and technique, and by three tasting judges.

“Austin represented Schoolcraft in the best light,” Chef Misiak said. “His performance was inspiring to watch. His work reflected the highest degree of culinary professionalism and he received many accolades from the judges and fellow competitors”

Here are Austin Hannah’s awards from the National Student Chef of the Year competition sponsored by the American Culinary Federation.

The only slight hiccup is Hannah intended to include pistachios with the appetizer. Because they were a required ingredient, he improvised and added them to the entrée.

Hannah said he was a bit concerned about the slight bobble, but the judges didn’t notice until he pointed it out to them.

“They didn’t say anything about the pistachios; they didn’t care because the flavors were there,” said Hannah, who started at Schoolcraft in 2018. “If you have good flavors, cook professionally, look good while you’re doing it and it tastes good and smells good, they don’t care.”

Hannah’s next objective is to become a Certified Sous Chef. He’s also eager to compete again, but this time as a professional.

“This was my fifth competition overall, but it’s my last as a student,” he said.