Sustainability Corner

Is a Flounder Lurking In Your Tomato? A Conversation about GMOs

Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE, executive director of Kendall College School of Culinary Arts and vice president of Laureate International Universities Center of Excellence in Culinary Arts, converses with Roger Beachy, Ph.D., one of the pioneers that helped develop the process for genetically modified organisms (GMOs), about GMOs from their development and safety to myths. Read More (1.13 MB)

Part II: The Coming Famine—Is It Inevitable?

In part one of this two-part series presented by the American Culinary Federation and Kendall College, Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE, executive director of Kendall College School of Culinary Arts and vice president of Laureate International Universities Center of Excellence in Culinary Arts, began talking with Australian author Julian Cribb about his new book, The Coming Famine. In part two, Koetke addresses Cribb’s belief that chefs have it within their power to be the catalyst that can help the world build a sustainable food system and his upcoming address as a featured speaker at the International Foodservice Sustainability Symposium, May 24–25, in Chicago. Read More (1.15 MB)

Part I: The Coming Famine—Is It Inevitable?

Chris Koetke, CEC, CCE, executive director of Kendall College School of Culinary Arts and vice president of Laureate International Universities Center of Excellence in Culinary Arts, sits down with Australian author Julian Cribb to discuss his new book, The Coming Famine, and his upcoming address as a featured speaker at the International Foodservice Sustainability Symposium, May 24–25, in Chicago. In part one of this two-part series presented by the American Culinary Federation and Kendall College, Koetke explores with Cribb what his book portends, and whether or not chefs can do anything to head off the famine at the pass. Read More (1.30 MB)

The Best Energy and Water Saved is That Which is Never Used (November 2010)

As chefs, we know that to make a profit and stay in business, we have to watch our food and labor costs like a hawk. But what about energy and water? For many of us, it flies under our radar and we think it’s one of those costs that’s beyond our control. Wrong! This month, Chris Koetke, dean of culinary arts, Kendall College School of Culinary Arts, sits down with two of his favorite experts in this area, Richard Young and Kong Sham from Food Service Technology Center, to share some areas where you can make small changes that yield big benefits. Read More

Straight Talk for Chefs, Part II (August 2010)

This month Chris Koetke, dean of culinary arts, Kendall College School of Culinary Arts, explores the locavore movement and how we, as chefs, can make a difference with Dr. Fred Kirschenmann, a distinguished fellow with the Leopold Center at Iowa State University and renowned authority on sustainable agriculture. Read More (1.42 MB)

Straight Talk for Chefs, Part I (July 2010)

As chefs, nothing is more important to us than the food we source. However, unlike areas such as energy and water conservation and waste reduction, there are no easy answers about food to guide us. That’s why this month, Chris Koetke, dean of culinary arts, Kendall College School of Culinary Arts, speaks Dr. Fred Kirschenmann, a distinguished fellow with the Leopold Center at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, in this month’s Sustainability Corner to help clarify some of the issues. Read More (1.35 MB)

Green Restaurant Saves $20,000 Annually (June 2010)

We all know that “going green” is good for the planet and good for business. Meet Denny’s operator Joey Terrell in the May Sustainability Corner article presented by ACF and Kendall College. Terrell recently opened Denny’s first green restaurant. He says his costs for building the store were equal to traditional construction, but here’s something that’s not equal—he’s saving $20,000 a year in utilities as compared with other equal-sized units. Chris Koetke, CEC, CCE, dean of culinary arts, Kendall College School of Culinary Arts, in a recent conversation with Terrell found out that whether you’re thinking about new construction or retrofitting, Terrell has some great tips that can make a big difference. Read More

Save Energy, Save Money (April 2010)

You can be the most talented chef ever, but you need to be profitable in order to be successful. Energy efficiency can help you reach your goals without compromising the quality of your guests experience and it’s one of the few things in the kitchen that is totally within your control. Read More

The American Culinary Federation aims to connect members with partners who share in the passion prepare for the foodservice industry’s future. This section contains categories of free resources available to keep you inform and help you become an even better steward of our planet!

ACFEF-Accredited Programs Incorporate Sustainable Ideas

Learn how ACFEF-accredited postsecondary and secondary programs are promoting sustainability.

• Postsecondary Programs
• Secondary Programs

General Information

• American Forest & Paper Association
• Conservation International
• Earth 911
• Earth Pledge
• Environmental Defense Fund
• GreenBiz
• GreenXchange
• Kendall College
• Sierra Club

Construction

• American Solar Energy Society
• American Wind Energy Association
• U.S. Green Building Council

Energy Conservation

• Alliance to Save Energy
• Energy Star
• Food Service Technology Center
• Green Restaurant Association
• NRA Conserve
• U.S. Composting Council
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Packaging & Cleaning Chemicals

• R3 Reliable Redistribution Resource
• Sustainable Packaging Coalition

General Resources on Sustainable Food

• Bon Appetit
• Chefs Collaborative
• Food Routes
• Growing Power: Urban Agriculture
• LocalCrop
• Local Harvest
• Natural Sustainability Agriculture Information
• Slow Food USA
• Sustainable Food Laboratory
• USDA Alternative Farming Systems Information Center
• VegWeb Composting Guide
• Yale Sustainable Food Project

Sustainable Seafood Resources

• Blue Frontier Campaign
• Blue Ocean Institute
• FishChoice.com
• Green Chefs Blue Ocean
• Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Reef Relief
• Seafood Choices Alliance
• Shedd Aquarium
• World Ocean Council

Green Videos & Podcasts

Learn more about living a sustainable lifestyle by viewing one of these free audio/video productions:

• Al Gore: 15 Ways to Avert a Climate Crisis(video - 16 minutes)
• Al Gore: New Thinking on the Climate Crisis(video - 28 minutes)
• Echoing Green(podcast)
• Fast Food World: Global Food Chain - Michael Pollan(video - 57 minutes)
• Green Living Ideas(podcast - 20–30 minutes)
• Green Talk Radio(podcast - 30–40 minutes)
• Green TV(video, lengths vary)
• Inside Renewable Energy(podcast - 50 minutes)
• Make-It Green Girl(podcast - 5 minutes)
• Planet Green(video, lengths vary)
• Sustainable Farming - Curing America’s Eating Disorder(video - 10 minutes)
• The Slow Food Story Part I, Part II & Part III(video - 5 minutes each)
• Treehugger Radio(radio & podcasts, lengths vary)
• Yale Sustainable Food Video (video - 20 minutes)

By SeafoodSource staff

07 October, 2011 - Hawaii Oceanic Technology has received a U.S. patent for its Oceansphere Automated Positioning and Submersible Open Ocean Platform for Fish Farming. The company filed the patent for its underwater fish cage in September 2007.

“This is an important value creating milestone for the company. We plan to use Oceanspheres to produce yellowfin and bigeye tuna within the next two years,” said Bill Spencer, the company’s CEO. “We will also sell and license Oceanspheres globally. The goal of the company is to demonstrate new fish farming technology that allows pelagic species such as tuna to be grown in deep ocean waters where constant currents and large volumes of clean water assure fish health and rapid mineralization of effluents.”

The company has permits and approval for a 247-acre lease site 2.6 miles off of North Kohala on Hawaii’s Big Island. Twelve Oceanspheres are permitted to operate in the site, producing 6,000 tons of tuna annually.

“More than 21,000 acres of land and mass quantities of fresh water would be needed to produce the same amount of beef protein. By farming protein in the vastness of the ocean, we can be more efficient, use no land or fresh water resources and reduce the carbon footprint associated with traditional fishing methods, not to mention reducing impact on wild fish populations that are already severely stressed,” said Spencer. “Our goal is to demonstrate that you can move some types of fish farming out into deep water where larger farms can be constructed and environmental impact can be insignificant due to naturally occurring processes.”

Firing leaves bitter taste for Sun-Times food critic

CEC® First Culinary Certification in Nation to Earn NCCA Accreditation

The U.S. restaurant industry continues to recover after several economically challenging years. During this time many find that professional certification is key to maintaining a competitive edge in the industry. Now, professionals who hold the Certified Executive Chef® (CEC®) designation through the American Culinary Federation (ACF) can boast that their certification is accredited by Washington, D.C.-based National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).

Melissa Murer Corrigan, RPh, president of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence, congratulated ACF, “You can be even more confident that the certification granted will give you the ability to rise above the competition, which is very important in this market.” Read more and watch the videos.

Greetings to you all,

I am a member of the Windy City Professional Culinarians chapter and am proud to announce that I have created my very own Seasoning Blend.  It's a wonderful blend of twenty-two spices & herbs in a 3oz. glass jar.  It's a New Orleans meets New England concoction.  I have received numerous emails from all over the country from people who have purchased my new blend and they absolutely LOVE it!  It can be used as a rub or to finish off the plate.

For those of you who are interested in purchasing my new blend, you can go directly to my website at:  www.clayscolossalchili.com and click the "Go Shopping" button.  I ship all orders via Priority Mail.  You will receive the blend within 3-4 days after purchase.

"Happy Seasonings"

Chef Clay