Cordon Bleu London Releases YouTube Tour

Many members of the Hospitality Industry are familiar with the Cordon Bleu in Paris but have not had time to tour the school's newly refurbished London center.

Happily you can now visually walk through the renovated British center thanks to a new YouTube video just released that not only highlights the center's outstanding new features but also reviews the history of the famed culinary school itself.  

But be warned in advanced, after viewing this informative clip, you'll want to visit in person - and why not: London is one of the world's great culinary cities. 

You will enjoy your trip and be inspirited by your visit.

 Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

Try Wearing Fast Food Sweatshirts to Reduce Culinary Work Strain

No one would say work within the Hospitality Industry is without stress or strain. The hours are long and one's everyday pay often does not equal that of the external corporate world. 

Yet the chance to be creative, to travel, to associate with other highly creative people is unique in the business world. But that said, there is always a need to relax, refocus and have a little fun.

Since eating fast food is a no-no stress reducer, why not try wearing some? These original snack food sweatshirts are growing in popularity with in-the-know chefs in Europe.

Why not treat yourself to some real fun food and become a true fashion 'plate'!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

Le Cordon Bleu Honors Julia Child's 100th Birthday with the Perfect Recipe

Happy Birthday Julia! And who better than Le Cordon Bleu in Paris to celebrate this remarkable woman's 100th birthday for it was at this, France's most esteemed culinary school, that Julia first formally studied cooking.

However, it has surprised some that Le Cordon Bleu chose to honor Madame Child by posting on their website a recipe for such a humble dish as Oeufs à la Bourguignonne’ or eggs poached in red wine. (See a link to their recipe, also known as Oeufs en Meurette, below).

Yet have no fear - their choice is so much what Julia was truly about – simple fresh ingredients, great technique and a touch of historic French flair.

Just consider that Oeufs à la Bourguignonne’ was originally from beautiful Burgundy (the source for the red wine used in the recipe) and associated there with a Cadet Rousselle, who built in the late 1700's an open-air walkway above his house that offered shelter to birds (remember that eggs are also a key ingredient in the dish).

His strange walkway was soon immortalized in a local song that quickly became a favorite of Napoleon’s far marching soldiers.

It remained so popular that after a mere 50 years Tchaikovsky in czarist Russia chose to use it as the theme for the towering Mother Ginger and her many children in his beloved holiday ballet, The Nutcracker.

If you consider that Julia, like a modern Mother Ginger, led so many ingénue American home cooks out of the dark and into the larger world of fabulous French flavors, you can see how perfect (and oh so perceptively French) Le Cordon Bleu's honorary choice of cuisine was.

And what better work of musical talent could there be to represent Julia Child's love of sweets than The Nutcracker ballet with its many food references, all dancing by in wonder and delight.

(Thank you, Meryl Streep, for both of these two amazing portrayal of Julia Child in the award winning movie, Julie and Julia).

Julia Child never had children of her own but she shared with millions the very best that she knew - how to enjoy life each and every day. What can we say for such a gift, but thank you! Julia, you are remembered and treasured! 

Oeufs à la Bourguignonne' Recipe 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2012

InterContinental to Build the Ultimate Eco Hotel in Old Chinese Quarry

Hats off to the InterContinental Hotel System for what must be one of the most stunning land reclamation project to come along in a long time. 

Working together with the British firm Atkins (engineers for the 2012 London Olympics) and Shimao Property officials in China’s Songjiang District within Shanghai, InterContinental has started construction on a 19 story hotel complex to be built in an abandoned and very ugly former stone quarry.

At first glance the site seems totally unsuitable for a luxury hotel but the designers are planning a total revitalization of the area. When it opens in 2015, the 380 guest room resort site will feature a towering waterfall, expansive lake, and an underwater restaurant.

With such amenities and an opening rack rates of $320 per night, what chef wouldn’t want to be on this property’s culinary team? 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2012

New Titanic Miniseries Can Remind Us Who We Are Today

As the hundredth anniversary of the tragic sinking of the famed ocean liner The Titanic approaches, a fleet of a new TV miniseries will soon seek to find port on television sets around the world.

Leading the way will be a new mega million pound four-part TV series written by Julian Fellowes, co-author of the very popular Downton Abbey PBS/BBC TV miniseries, entitled simply Titanic.

This parallel application of writing talent with the legendary grandeur of Titanic's famed elegance (and sad ending) is almost certain to guarantee the continued popularity of all things Edwardian.

Thankfully the series, which will be released in Canada, the United Kingdom and then the United States, will focus in large part on the passengers and crew as characters before taking the viewers into the sad night of April 15^th.

The delayed tragedy will enable those watching the series to glimpse the grandeur of the ship as well as the hierarchy that ruled society at that time.

It is important to remember that our Industry carries the legacy of that class system and the great estate houses that spawn it. Like the fabled Downton Abbey, we work witihin a daily structure that echoes the labors of Edwardian cooks, footmen and house maids in the modern positions of chefs, bellmen and housekeepers.

Today those positions are better paid professional positions, protected by labor law and owner-worker agreements. Yes, the world has changed a great deal since 1912 – or has it?

Indifference and injust judgment of others still occurs, lurking like an iceberg, offering equal destruction today unless we can see clearer than the Titanic’s esteemed but careless captain that professionalism requires a genuine respect for others, not merely profit by any means available.

Post Note, April 6, 2012: If you have ever try to visualize how something as big as the Titanic could sink (something roughly the size of a major hotel building), the amazing data-visualization company After the Flood has created a videographic for the BBC that explains it all.

Their work is an amazing demonstration of how the new videographic design, using advanced computer technology (and a lot of in-house talent), will change the face of marketing in the hospitality industry. Imagine telling the marketing story of your hotel or restaurant in five brief but unforgettable minutes! 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2012