Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 10, 1993 TAG: 9311110499
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
It doesn't get any better than this. Or maybe it does.
This six-course repast will be offered Nov. 20 at the fifth annual gourmet gala dinner of the American Culinary Federation's Southwestern Virginia Chef's Association. One of the fund-raising event's main goals is to improve the quality of this area's cuisine.
``This is something that is well-supported by both professionals and the general public because better restaurants and service not only benefit diners, but also encourage operations to upgrade in order to stay competitive,'' Curtis Carter explained.
Carter is a certified executive chef and has worked at Hunting Hills Country Club for the past 14 years. He's also chairman of the upcoming dinner and vice president of the local chef's association.
``I'm often asked what is the difference between a cook and chef,'' Carter said. ``I say it's the knowledge, experience, self-assurance and comfort level one has to have to qualify for certification. The process for obtaining ACF approval is extensive.''
Carter said the 25-year-old chef's association has about 10 ``allied'' members, from among produce and restaurant service companies. There are about 45 ``active'' members, who to be so designated must be working in a kitchen in a professional cooking capacity of cold foods or higher. This requirement generally precludes membership by aspiring chefs such as those in the Roanoke city or County culinary arts programs. But there is still plenty of interaction between present and future chefs. Carter said he knows that rising in the food business isn't all just sweetness and light.
Carter, 41, started his food career as a pot washer at age 12 at the Salem Restaurant and Dairy Bar in Salem, which his family owned. He broadened his training by working at several food concessions run by his parents, including those at Victory Stadium, Mill Mountain Zoo, Lakeside Amusement Park, a ballpark and couple of bowling alleys before experiencing and falling in love with country-club work while in West Palm Beach, Fla. He joined the Hunting Hills Country Club staff as a sous chef in l979 and has been its certified executive chef for 10 years.
Carter said that he and other association members often attend the culinary arts programs' meetings and act as judges during the programs' competitions. He said that recently the association also has been working with officials at Virginia Western Community College with hopes of starting an apprenticeship program there.
As an ACF-certified executive chef, Carter supervises, manages, hires and fires personnel, budgets, schedules and otherwise oversees a culinary team of at least five people.
``As a certified executive chef, I need to look for qualified people, and many of them come out of such programs as the ones in the city and county schools,'' he said. ``The programs give good basic skills and knowledge and show that the person who has completed them has the necessary dedication and stamina for this business.''
The other aspect of the business is its creative side, which allows chefs the pleasure of presentation. Carter said that a sense of presentation is partly developed through experience and exposure to what works, but a lot of it is experimental.
``I look at the colors first. I then examine the textures and try to have complementary flavors. But the eye appeal must be there. The food must appeal to all of the senses,'' he said.
Carter pushed Southwestern regional cuisine for the upcoming dinner partly because he has a special love for that type of food. But he said he also sees the particular cuisine as a growing taste trend.
``Southwestern regional cuisine is just one example of some of the changes I see in the area's tastes, which I think is being influenced by the influx of people here from different areas,'' Carter said.
The menu and event were developed and coordinated in conjunction with the other committee members: Spencer St. Clair, Frederick Pauthonnier, Jay Brinkley, Steve Williams, Jack Hartees and John Schopp. Carter acknowledged that they're all men, in what has traditionally been a male-dominated field.
But that, too, is changing, he said, as more qualified women and minorities gain chef's recognition. Just as a more diverse general population has influenced and broadened the foods offered in this area, Carter said diversity among chefs will expand the offerings - especially of ethnic cuisines - and strengthen the profession.
The Gourmet Gala Dinner will be Nov. 20 at Hunting Hills Country Club, beginning at 7 p.m.with a cash bar and hors d'oeuvres. The six-course dinner, including wines, starts at 8 and costs $50 per person. Reservations are required by Nov. 18 - call 774-4427.
by CNB