THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 15, 1994 TAG: 9409130181
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: ON THE TOWN
SOURCE: SAM MARTINETTE
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
I lost count recently when trying to determine whether retired chef Frank Farello, C.E.C., A.A.C., C.F.E., D.O.D.G. etc., has more initials after his name than medals honoring his lifetime of culinary achievements.
The 66-year old transplanted New Yorker is justly proud of his most recent honor - being inducted into the American Academy of Chefs (A.A.C.) last August at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.
You would think that Farello - a Certified Executive Chef, Certified Food Executive and holder of the Dignified Order of the Dinner Gong, an honor accorded him as a founder of the Tidewater branch of the International Food Service Executives Association - would have plenty to do just sitting around the house polishing his awards.
Not so. He also serves as chairman of the board of the Tidewater Chef's Association and as director of the Adopt-A-Chef program. Adopt-A-Chef works to affiliate area chefs with local high schools in order to expose youngsters to the benefits and possibilities of a food service or culinary career. Chef Farello is also a member of a national subcommittee appointed by the American Culinary Federation (ACF) to work with military cooks and chefs. The committee's aim is to include them in culinary competitions and prepare them for the realities of working in the outside world once they've left the service.
Most recently Farello was appointed chairman of a committee whose goal is to increase the involvement of retired chefs in ACF functions. The first thing he did was to change the terminology from ``retired'' to senior chefs.
``They're an asset that hasn't been tapped yet,'' Farello said. ``We want to use these senior chefs as mentors to pass along their wealth of knowledge to the younger chefs, culinarians and cooks.
``We also want to keep them in touch with their profession. In our days most chefs had no profit-sharing or pensions. Many of them can't afford to attend ACF conventions. We don't want senior chefs just set aside.''
The former executive chef of the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club (during the 1950s), and later a co-owner of the fabled White Sands Country Club in Virginia Beach, Farello began his career as a short-order cook and did a stint as a cook at an Army hospital before working his way up in the private club business on Long Island. When bad health forced him into retirement (he has survived five heart attacks), Farello did not go gently into the night but picked up a schedule that would tax most people decades younger.
Among other current projects, he is serving as co-chair of the 3rd Annual Gourmet Gala, a culinary extravaganza featuring 40 restaurants, set for Oct. 12 at the Norfolk Waterside Convention Center (adjacent to the Marriott) to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
``This year will be the biggest yet,'' Farello said. ``We started out with 28 booths three years ago, and this year we expect 45. My job is to coordinate the menus, to make sure there's no duplication.''
The event, which takes place from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., will feature the music of two bands, dancing, live entertainment and gourmet food from restaurants as diverse as the Lynnhaven Fish House in Virginia Beach and Norfolk's Tabouli.
The list of eateries that will participate will be announced later. Tickets are $30 per person, and the event is traditionally a sell-out, with some 2,000 people attending.
For more information, call 456-1993, or write: Gourmet Gala, P.O. Box 11085, Norfolk, 23517. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by SAM MARTINETTE
Chef Frank Farello says senior chefs ``are an asset that hasn't been
tapped yet.''
by CNB