Official e-Newsletter of the
American Personal & Private Chef Association

In this edition ...

From the Executive Director: Social networking, or, Twittering before you Yelp…
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Upcoming personal-chef training through November
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APPCA’s growing presence on Facebook: Be part of our group!
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Bon appétit! Join APPCA and Full Fridge in a taste of France next year
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What’s in your pantry? Debbi Dubbs’ book reveals how to make the most of it all
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Palate-specific recipe: Spicy Tofu & Mushroom Spaghetti Sauce
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Member profile: Hawaii-based Yolan Garrett Chan says if you don’t try, you’ll never know you can do it
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Lee Silber’s self-marketing tip: Promote like Paramount
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Market research: People are spending less, staying at home more
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APPCA private chef is Armed Forces Chef of the Year
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Side Dish

• WCR’s Women Who Inspire Awards: Nominate by May 27
• Join SUPPERMAN and APPCA’s online cooking club
• Kiwis from New Zealand are ripe for the picking
• June is Mango Month. But on pizza? Why not?
• Heirloom rice from the ancient terraces of Luzon and more

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From Candy Wallace, Executive Director

Part of my struggle has been my reluctance to abandon or diminish our topic- and career-specific online forums to adopt and adapt to the new demands of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Yelp (and more), but at the same time needing to build and maintain a strong Internet presence for APPCA and the personal-chef industry as a whole.

With the introduction of so many sites to promote your business, one can hardly build a presence on one site without being distracted by the introduction of another "service site" that purports to be the latest opportunity to get your message out—stay in touch with family and friends, locate lost friends and relationships and develop new ones. I get giddy from the constant barrage, and can hardly commit enough time to learn how to negotiate and build each of these sites without wondering whether or not I am actually accomplishing something.

What to do? Spend 20 hours a day trying to keep up with my business and the challenge of maintaining this Internet presence, or go out and find some help in identifying what I want to accomplish and discover which sites would best serve those needs? Once that is decided, what I need to know is HOW to effectively use these select sites.

I realized that I need a guide. Happily, your organization has one.

APPCA will be offering a special opportunity to our members to learn more about using Facebook, LinkedIn and other social-networking opportunities successfully, focusing particularly on capitalizing on such sites’ power to promote personal-chef services and grow your business.

Building on the success of APPCA’s Webinar training series, we will offer a 101-level course in live, interactive format that will introduce you to social networking. And you can benefit from this instruction with as little as a laptop and access to the Internet. A very reasonable fee will make it easy for you to become acquainted with this phenomenon that’s taking the world by storm.

We have a terrific expert on hand who can easily explain social-networking opportunities and how to maximize them to your benefit, as well as pitfalls to avoid. We’ve begun a discussion in our online private forum to solicit your input and questions about social networking, some of which might be incorporated into the Webinar. We encourage you to join the discussion at http://personalchefforum.com/eve.

Look for an e-notice in your in-box alerting you to an early-summer date to join us in this illuminating and empowering training as, together, we learn how to maximize social networking for the benefit of our businesses and careers.

Personal-Chef Training through November 2009

• June 6-7, L’Academie de Cuisine, Gaithersburg, Md. (greater Washington)
• July 18-19, San Diego
• August 30, Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo, San Diego (1 day, accelerated)
• September 11, Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show, Orlando (1 day, accelerated)
• October 3-4, L’Academie de Cuisine, Gaithersburg, Md. (greater Washington)
• November 14-15, San Diego

Click here for more.

Visit APPCA on Facebook!

If you’re already on Facebook, join APPCA’s group at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=12431881837&ref=ts or simply search for APPCA once you log in. And be sure to invite friends who might be interested. Currently for discussion: Has the economy impacted your personal-chef business? In what ways? What strategies, if any, have you implemented to counteract lost business?

Visit www.personalchef.com and watch your e-mail for an update on social-networking training, soon to be offered by APPCA.

Chef’s Tour: France 2010

We orchestrated this adventure last October for 12 people, and it was a grand success. We look forward to going back—this time with a boat full of personal and private chefs!

The cost per person will be in the neighborhood of $5,750 per person, not including air. The excursion will be 13 days, and includes most meals and accommodations, so it’s a bargain. A $500 deposit will hold your space. (But hurry, as there are only a few). First come, first served.

Included in your tuition: round-trip, first-class TGV Pass l two nights in Carcassone l Welcome Dinner at Chateau Cavanac l transfer to barges l all breakfasts, lunches and dinners on board l scheduled on-shore and on-board culinary excursions l bicycles l six nights’ accommodations on-board l transfer to TGV for return to Paris l five nights at Hotel St. Paul l farewell dinner l Seine cruise (itinerary and tuition are subject to change).

Join Candy, Dennis and Tom on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure. We hope to see you there!
Tom Herndon
Personal Chef
www.fullfridge.com

Dubbs Finds Gold in the Pantry with New Book

What’s In Your Pantry empowers both the accomplished chef and beginning cook to use what's on hand to create tasty and impressive dishes. Dubbs breaks the book down into two sections—what to stock in your pantry and where to find the items in the supermarket—and includes an explanation of basic knife cuts, culinary techniques and terms. The heart of the book contains recipes beginning with basics such as vinaigrettes and dressings, sweet and savory salsas, sauces and stocks, followed by carefully selected recipes sectioned by seasons, along with ideas to capitalize on fresh produce readily available at the local farmer’s market or grocery store.

“Chef Debbi’s tips and suggestions can mean the difference between kitchen chaos and sure-hit meals,” says APPCA’s founder and executive director, Candy Wallace, who notes that Dubbs was the first recipient of APPCA’s Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR) scholarship. “If you follow her suggestions, you’ll find your pantry will become the support system you can count on to make your meal-prep experience joyful and delicious.”

What’s In Your Pantry can be purchased for $17.95 plus shipping from www.debskitchen.com and Amazon.com.

Spicy Tofu and Mushroom Spaghetti Sauce

This richly textured and flavorful vegetarian spaghetti sauce is one that kids are sure to love. You can find marinated tofu in the produce section of most supermarkets. Serve with Soy7 soy-enhanced pasta or regular pasta. You can also use Italian marinated firm tofu instead of plain.

¼ cup   olive oil, divided
1          (14 oz.) package water-packed firm tofu, cut into ½” cubes
4 oz.     sliced assorted mushrooms
1/3 cup minced onion
2          garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp.    chile flakes
16 oz.   tomato sauce
3 Tbsp. chopped Italian black olives
¼ cup   chopped fresh basil
6 cups  hot cooked soy-enhanced spaghetti
Grated Parmesan as needed

Method:
1. In a nonstick skillet, heat a little oil over medium heat. Add tofu and sauté until lightly browned. Remove from pan and reserve.

2. Add remaining oil, mushrooms, onion and garlic to skillet; sauté 5 minutes. Add chile flakes and cook 1 additional minute. Add reserved tofu and tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes.

3. At service: Add olives and basil to sauce. Serve over spaghetti with Parmesan.

Cooking’s Only Part of the Story

To simply call Yolan Garrett Chan a chef isn’t enough. Sure, he’s a very talented one, having worked at some of Hawaii’s top hotels, and can count famed chef Alan Wong, along with numerous others, among those he has mentored. Then there’s his accomplished culinary teaching career, which includes a more recent teaching position at a women’s prison, and his private-chef work that includes a dinner for the governor. But then there are his accomplishments as a professional photographer, his painting (watercolor is his medium of choice) and his poetry. Did we mention that he happens to be a published writer, too? And after speaking with him, we get the impression that even at 74, he’s got a lot more to give.

APPCA: How did you get interested in cooking?
Chan: There wasn’t any preconceived idea. I just needed a job when I was going to college, and the easiest place to get one back in the ‘50s was in a restaurant. So I got a job and learned how to cook. But then I asked myself, “Why did I just want to cook when I could be a chef?” So I spent a couple of years as an apprentice to an Italian chef in San Francisco. Eventually, at age 18, I became the youngest executive sous chef in the country when I was working at the Sheraton Palace Hotel. It was a fascination with cooking that initially attracted me to it. Many people think of cooking as a job, but for me it’s an expression and a passion.

APPCA: Tell me about your culinary background.
Chan: After San Francisco, I was drafted into the Army. After that I came back and started my own business. Then I migrated to Hawaii and back into culinary and the food industry. I was working in hotels. I worked for Sheraton Waikiki, Waikiki Beachcomber, InterContinental, Hyatt and Hawaiian Village. I was the guy who helped to convert all the Hyatts into Regency. Then I got offered the opportunity to teach at the University of Minnesota in 1979. They had me teaching in four locations.

APPCA: So what was it like living in Minnesota after Hawaii?
Chan: There were nine months of freezing and three months of tornados.

APPCA: What did you do next?
Chan: Eventually I came back to Hawaii and I got an executive-chef job with Continental Airlines. When the job ended in 1989, I decided that I was going to retire. But I couldn’t do nothing. As I have a master’s in photography, I decided to pick up my camera and start doing photography again. The NFL hired me as Pro Bowl official photographer for 10 years. During that time, I was also doing a lot of freelance writing. I stopped cooking professionally for 10 years.

Then, in 1999 I was diagnosed with cancer. I was totally devastated. I was laid up for two years, in a wheelchair. At one point, I ended up with 20 different pill bottles on my table to combat the side effects of each one that I would take every few hours. I couldn’t remember who I was. Then one day, I told myself, “This is not a life. I am not going to lie here and take all these pills.” I stopped all the painkillers and only took the basic cancer medicine. And, lo and behold, I was out of the wheelchair and I was walking around after a week and a half. I was a new man. The doctors didn’t believe it.

In 2001 a friend of mine who owns the Gros Bonnet Culinary Academy in Honolulu asked me to come back and teach. That’s how I got back into teaching. Eventually I ended up teaching at Kapiolani Community College.

APPCA: What skills are important to be a good chef?
Chan: I tell my students there are three things you need to understand: chemistry, artistry and math. All three are interrelated, and without any one you don’t have anything. It’s like an artist with a blank canvas. The artist will first imagine what the picture will look like. As a chef you have to do the same thing. You have to be able to imagine what it will taste like. Then you have to understand chemistry in order to write a recipe.

APPCA: What do you teach at the Women’s Community Correctional Center in Kailua?
Chan: When I first got there many of my students could hardly read and write. So I had to teach them remediable English and math all the way through the culinary arts. It’s an accredited 20-week course. It’s difficult. They’ve been let down so many times. The first thing I do is tell them, “When you walk through that door you are no longer a prisoner; you are a college student, and I want you to remember that. If you cannot accept that, then go back out.” Usually after two weeks, I’ll lose about half of them. I have students graduating from the WCCC and going into the community college. It makes me feel good knowing I did something that actually works. I’ve been teaching there for two-and-a-half years. I’m the longest teacher there. You get burnt out real quick. But I have outlets—painting, cooking, writing poetry—and that takes me away from the stress.

I tell all the girls the same thing: It doesn’t matter what anybody says, you deserve a second chance if you allow yourself to accept it. I’m a tough teacher. I say what I think should be said at the time it should be said. These people should understand who they are and where they are going. I tell them if you can’t take what I give you, then you shouldn’t be in this class. You should see some of the letters they write to me. They are great people. All they need is some encouragement and someone to give them direction.

APPCA: What is it about teaching that you like so much?
Chan: I love teaching for a simple reason: I see my results. At 74, I’m at the point where I’m thinking, Why should I take all this with me? There are a couple students of mine who today are the most famous chefs in the country. One of them is Alan Wong. He was my apprentice when I was at Sheraton Waikiki. I feel if I can help someone, I’ll be glad to do it.

APPCA: How did you get started as a personal chef?
Chan: I started out five or six years ago. I was getting bored just teaching. I needed to do something else. So I joined the APPCA and I got a lot of calls. I like to do smaller dinners, because when you do those types of events you can really do something elaborate and outstanding. It’s fun and creative.

APPCA: What kinds of things do you do as a personal chef?
Chan: At least once or twice a month I do private culinary events. I’ve done the Governor’s Dinner and I did the mayor’s luncheons. The mayor’s lunch was fantastic. I also work with a company here that rents out multi-million-dollar homes in Kahala. They pre-contact me. They had group of 20 people living in this huge house. We catered dinner for four nights. I was presented a menu that cost about $10,000. Money wasn’t a problem.

APPCA: How does a personal chef differ from a standard one?
Chan: Being a personal chef is different from anything else. You can really expand your knowledge and creativity because you have a free hand to do whatever you like. You can really make things out of nothing and make something really beautiful. Being a personal chef is a fun thing to do.

Personal chef is something quite new in the industry. It came out from the rent-a-chef back in the ’50s, where you could rent a chef for a week, a day or whatever. The big difference between a personal chef and a traditional chef is you can walk away from it. That’s one nice thing about it. Also, as a personal chef you can control the budget because you are the person who controls everything, not the clientele.

Personal chef has another advantage in that you don’t have to compare yourself with anybody. You can do your own thing, right or wrong. If you are smart enough, you can adjust in a way that’s pleasing to the customer. And that’s the most important point.

APPCA: What future culinary plans do you have?
Chan: I want to create a line of products, something small and inexpensive that people will appreciate, like sauces and pastries. I was thinking about calling it “Two Old Chefs” and working with one of my former students, Peter Anderson. I have the logo designed and copyrighted already.

APPCA: What kind of advice can you offer to new chefs?
Chan: You’ve got to learn the fundamentals first. You have to learn how to crawl before you walk. If you can master all those three—chemistry, artistry and math—then you’ll have no obstacle to become a very good chef. Also, you have to think for yourself. You can teach anybody how to cook, but you can’t teach them how to think.

APPCA: Where do you find inspiration?
Chan: My wife. We’ve been together for 22 years and we’ve never had one argument. We give each other enough room to make our own mistakes. Married people can often be too competitive. We learned one thing: to respect each other’s space. Without space, you will be cramped and you will suffocate. Also, I do a lot of self-assessment.

APPCA: How do you find the time, energy and passion to do all the things you do?
Chan: Actually, there is an awful lot of time people don’t realize they have. As the day goes on, you’ll find there’s plenty of time where you really don’t do anything at all. I sit down and think a lot. I always carry a pencil and paper, no matter where I go, to write down my thoughts. The thing is this: We were put on earth to do things. If you don’t try, you’ll never know you can do it.

Promote Like Paramount

I believe self-promotion starts in your head—and I learned this lesson in college, a very long time ago. While I was studying advertising and design, a life-changing opportunity presented itself—and I almost said “no.” At the time, I was the owner of a surf shop, worked part-time in the promotion department of the No. 1 radio station in San Diego—and went to school all afternoon. So, when the dean of my school came to me and asked, “You work in radio, right?” I nodded, and he went on to ask. “How would you like to work a few days a month for free?” My initial reaction was, “Are you kidding me?” However, before he walked away I asked, “Who would I be working for and what would I be doing?” The dean said, “You would be working with Paramount Pictures promoting films.” I took the gig.

The internship was really an amazing opportunity. All I had to do was set up free screenings for upcoming films and coordinate promotions with area radio stations. I could go on and on about all the things I learned about promotion from Paramount Pictures, but there was a bigger lesson to be learned than the marketing specifics. Alan, my contact (and later, one of my mentors) at Paramount Pictures taught me something that would forever change my life—and I want to share it with you.

The minute I met Alan I knew we were going to get along great. He LOVED marketing—and not just for films, but everything. He was also able to come up with a dozen ways to promote anything, anywhere, at any time. He would come visit me at my surf shop and walk around and throw out ideas left and right. I followed him with a note pad and implemented as many of his ideas as I could—and they all worked. One day I asked him, "How do you do it?" He looked at me and said, “Do what?” I told him, “Just pull these amazing sales and marketing ideas out of thin air?” Then he told me how he did it—and now I will tell you.

1. Be a student of all kinds of marketing and promotion. Watch television for the commercials, drive around looking at billboards, visit the Web sites that have won awards, and pay special attention to print ads in magazines and newspapers. The secrets to self-promotion success are all around you. All you have to do is look for what works (and why) and notice what doesn't do it for you (and why). Start a notebook, scrapbook, file, or bookmark the best sites and then when it comes times to come up with your own stuff, you can borrow from the best.

2. “It's never about you, it's always about them” was something Alan instilled in me early and often. He never let up with this theory: “People buy benefits. Turn everything around to be about them. Tell them why they should buy it—what's in it for them if they do buy. Don't make them guess. Don't make them wait. Connect the dots between what you are offering and what they want and need.” He went on to say, “People are busy, lazy and not that bright. So, keep it simple and make it easy for them to understand and act on your offer—tell them what to do, how to do it, and make it seem urgent.”

3. Don’t think too much, and trust your gut. Lastly, after you have spent enough time doing steps one and two, you will have internalized the core elements of promotion and are ready to start throwing out ideas off the top of your head. The secret, he said, is to not think too much, just say what pops into your mind because that's where the core idea is, and it's pure. You can go back and hone it, but if you try to be perfect too soon, you kill your creativity. Trust your gut and go for it.

Mintel Identifies Recession-Proof Food and Drink Markets

Bread. The core of basic American eating, from breakfast bagels to lunchtime sandwiches to dinner rolls, Mintel sees the bread market faring the recession quite well. Originally predicted to grow 2.1% in 2008, Mintel's latest figures show the bread market having grown 7%. Mintel now predicts higher growth for bread through 2013.

Sweet Spreads. "Brown bag lunches are back!" says Patterson. America's quintessential lunch—the PB&J—is doing great during recessionary times. A healthy, cheap source of protein, peanut butter will drive sweet spread sales to increase 26% from 2008-2013, up substantially from Mintel's initial prediction of 12%.

Frozen Meals. Convenient, available in family-sized servings, filling and often inexpensive, frozen meals will undoubtedly benefit from the recession. Mintel expects a total sales increase of 4.5% in 2008, a jump from its original -0.3% expectation.


Side Dishes. More people are cooking at home, but small conveniences like ready-prepared side dishes aren't out of the question for many families. Mintel only expected the side dish market to grow 2.3% in 2008, but in fact, it grew more than 5%, driven by increased sales of basic comfort foods such as mac and cheese. (Pictured here is a healthier macaroni and cheese prepared with Barilla PLUS elbows, broccoli florets and a cheese sauce made with Fontina, all spiked with grated Parmesan and Romano.)

Coffee. The $4 latte is finally going out of fashion. More adults are making their coffee at home, causing the retail coffee market to grow 6% in 2008, a substantial jump from Mintel's original forecast of 2.4%. Mintel expects this market to enjoy continued success in the future, though recent, less expensive coffee drink launches from Dunkin Donuts and McDonald's will compete with at-home coffee sales.

Patterson notes that these recession-proof food and drink markets share commonalities. These products often fall into the comfort/simple food categories and can be purchased at a general supermarket for a relatively low price. Then at home, they can be prepared and enjoyed with relative ease.

Says Candy Wallace, founder and executive director of APPCA, personal chefs can capitalize on the times by offering solutions to existing and potential clients. “While supermarkets are making it easier for consumers to dine at home, the reality is that most people don’t know how to cook,” she says. “They want more than a ‘meal in a box.’ Time is money, too, and this is where skilled personal chefs can step in to meet increasing demand for home-cooked, wholesome, palate-specific meals that not only satisfy, but offer the ultimate convenience that singles, couples and families require—even in the midst of an economic downturn.”

APPCA Member Is Armed Forces Chef of the Year

Culinary specialist first class (CS1) Michael Ray Edwards of the U.S. Navy, a member of APPCA, recently was named Armed Forces Chef of the Year. Edwards, private chef to Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., claimed victory in this year’s annual military cookoff in Fort Lee, Va., over rival chefs who had been in the field as long as 25 years.

Edwards is currently enrolled in The Culinary Institute of America’s (CIA) Culinary Enrichment and Innovation Program (CEIP), a culinary leadership program created by the CIA and Hormel Foods. He was among the first chefs in the nation to earn certification as a personal chef (PCC) from APPCA through ACF, and is also certified as an executive chef (CEC).

According to National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” Edwards joined the Navy shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, because a recruiter told him the food in the Navy was better than Army food. Before that, he ran a vegetarian catering company.   

Pictured here, Edwards, a graduate of the ProChef Certification program at the CIA, accepts his certificate from Dr. Tim Ryan, CMC, president of the institute.

Edwards recently appeared in a segment of the Pentagon Channel's “ReCon,” which focused on the training and expertise of U.S. military chefs. To view the half-hour segment, click http://tiny.cc/EeGt9.

SIDE DISH

Nominate a Woman Who Inspires. Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR) announces a call for nominations for the 2009 Women Who Inspire Awards. The deadline for nominations is May 27. This year’s awards will be presented at a gala dinner on Sunday, Nov. 1, during WCR’s 2009 National Conference at The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. Nominate in one or more of the following categories: Barbara Tropp President’s Award, Community Service Award, Golden Bowl Award, Golden Fork Award, Golden Goblet Service Award, Golden Plow Award and Golden Whisk Award. Nominations for the 2009 WCR Women Who Inspire Awards may be made by members and non-members of WCR. Nominees need not be members of WCR to be applicable. For more information or to submit a nomination, visit www.womenchefs.org.

Join SUPPERMAN and APPCA’s Online Cooking Club. “SUPPERMAN” Robert Seibert, a personal-chef member of APPCA based in New Jersey, has launched an online cooking club in the APPCA member forum.  Participants prepare a designated recipe each month while supplying impressions, results and inquiries in the Recipe For Success Forum. The most-recent project: a sartu (timballo) from The Silver Spoon, Italy’s best-selling cookbook for more than 50 years. To join in the fun and learning, review the discussion stream at http://personalchefforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/195605825/m/677105161 and visit Seibert’s Web site at www.suppermanchef.com.

Green and Gold Kiwifruit Arrive in May. The official start of the ZESPRI® Kiwifruit season begins in early May, and chefs can expect a good supply of excellent quality kiwifruit from New Zealand for summer and fall menus. Use ZESPRI green and gold kiwifruit to add striking color and a burst of flavor to appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts. As versatile as it is unique, kiwifruit lend panache and all-natural appeal to cocktails and morning smoothies. Served with a spoon, kiwifruit halves make a nutritious snack. Kiwifruit is recognized as one of the most nutrient-dense fruits with notable amounts of vitamin C and E, potassium, fiber and folate. For more information or innovative recipes, visit www.zesprikiwi.com.

Make Mine Mango. June is Mango Month for very good reasons: Typically six varieties are available in the market; nearly 15% of mangos are imported during June, the highest percentage of imports in any month of the year; and mango is a versatile ingredient, perfect for summer menus. Mango consumption per capita has quadrupled since 1990 to an estimated 2.2 pounds per year in 2008. Find more information about handling and cooking with fresh mango on the National Mango Board’s Web site, www.mango.org.


New Grains from Exotic Locales. Indian Harvest announces Indian Harvest Boutique featuring exceptional lesser-known, hard-to-find grain varieties with small yields gathered from some of the world’s most remote and exotic locations, as well as local heirloom varieties from seed currently planted and awaiting harvest. Indian Harvest Boutique will update regularly as new grain products are acquired and offered to personal and commercial chefs for dish inspiration. Eighth Wonder Tinawon Fancy Rice, for example, is a Fair Trade rice grown in the famous rice terraces on the northern Philippine island of Luzon. It has a mild, nutty flavor and white, brown-speckled hue, and a fragrant popcorn-like aroma when cooked. For more information, visit www.IndianHarvest.com/boutique.

 
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