Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley presided over the inauguration of The
French Pastry School’s new teaching kitchen and research facilities in
the City Colleges of Chicago District Headquarters on July 12. With the
new and expanded facilities, The French Pastry School doubles in size,
fulfilling rising demand for specialized instruction in the pastry
field. The school’s additional space will accommodate more students for
existing and future programs.
“We are so glad that
internationally acclaimed chefs Jacquy Pfeiffer and Sébastien Canonne
established The French Pastry School in Chicago and at the City
Colleges of Chicago,” Daley said. “I, like all of you, share a passion
for the culinary arts and I’m proud that the school instructs over one
thousand students and pastry professionals in hands-on classes each
year and offers three programs.”
Also present at the
ribbon-cutting ceremony were the founders and deans of The French
Pastry School, Jacquy Pfeiffer and Sébastien Canonne, M.O.F.; the
faculty and staff of The French Pastry School; and the Chancellor of
City Colleges, Cheryl Hyman.
“This is one of the best programs
at City Colleges of Chicago,” Hyman said, “They have an 80% job
placement rate; I think that’s phenomenal. Their program is one that we
can mirror throughout the entire district.”
Immediately following the ribbon-cutting ceremony was a reception celebrating the upcoming edition of
Cap’Recette,
an international culinary periodical that focuses on high-profile chefs
of a particular city. For the first time, Chicago has been selected to
represent the United States in
Cap’Recette,
which is published twice a year by Cap’Fruit, a French company that
provides high-quality fruit purées to chefs all over the world.
Daley
delivered a message of congratulations on the selection, saying “As you
all know, Chicago is home to a great number of innovative chefs,
restaurateurs and food producers who provide a palette of extraordinary
tastes. They are true artists who have helped enhance our city’s
reputation in the food and wine industry, and as a result, have brought
thousands of hungry visitors here. I want to thank Cap’Fruit, the
publishers of
Cap’Recette magazine, for selecting Chicago to represent the United States in its upcoming issue.”
Contributors
to the Chicago edition, which will be published later this month,
include Chefs Jacquy Pfeiffer and Sébastien Canonne, M.O.F., joined by
some of the best chefs in the city. They include Chef Carrie
Nahabedian, co-owner of NAHA, James Beard award winner and first woman
inducted into the Chefs Hall of Fame, along with Pastry Chef Craig
Harzewski; Executive Chef Kai Lermen of the Peninsula, along with
Executive Pastry Chef Céline Plano; Chef Dimitri Fayard, owner of
Vanille Pâtisserie, Pastry World Champion 2008; Executive Chef
Dominique Tougne of Bistro 110; Executive Chef Sotero Gallegos of La
Sardine, along with Chef de Cuisine Scott Jambrosek; Pastry Chef
Frédéric Moreau of the Park Hyatt; Chef Della Gossett, Pastry Chef
Instructor at The French Pastry School and former Pastry Chef of
Charlie Trotter’s; and Chef Jean Joho, Chef/Owner of Everest Room.
Cap’Recette
is published in four languages and distributed worldwide to all the
major leaders of the hospitality business. The reception on Monday was
held to honor this upcoming edition, in which participating chefs
showcase their recipes and Chicago establishments. Past celebrations
have been held in Paris, France, Gijon, Spain, London and England.
Next, the torch will be passed to Hong Kong and Alvin Leung, celebrity
chef and owner of Bo Innovation.
For more information about The French Pastry School, visit
www.frenchpastryschool.com.
