The Art Institute Of Washington Hosts Chefs Of Tomorrow Media Dinner

CHICAGO – Students dazzled editors representing some of the food industry’s most prominent publications at the 2011 Chefs of Tomorrow™ media dinner held at The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Washington in Arlington, Va., on November 9 during the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC) Conference.

The elegant, multicourse dinner in the school’s public fine-dining restaurant, Culinaire, featured innovative use of products from companies represented by Chicago-based Olson Communications, a full-service agency that specializes in delivering innovative marketing-communication strategy to its portfolio of select food-industry clients.

Courses for the evening included:

• Hors d’oeuvres of black-bean-tapenade crostini with chorizo, sweet-potato-soup shooters and beer-poached Italian sausage with mango chutney featuring products from Basic American Foods and Johnsonville Sausage
• Main course of filet mignon from Quantum Foods, served with béarnaise over kale with cremini mushrooms and red-pepper coulis
• For dessert, a choice of individual 3-inch cheesecakes from The Cheesecake Factory Bakery: Strawberry Cheesecake with white-chocolate tuile, sliced strawberries and mint sauce; Original Cheesecake with peanut brittle, kiwi and passion-fruit sauce; and Chocolate Cheesecake with raspberry and a coconut macaroon

Between courses, students responsible for cooking and service for 20 guests shared their personal histories and aspirations for fulfilling careers in foodservice following graduation. This year’s Chefs of Tomorrow™ dinner, an annual event designed to expose trade and consumer media to exemplary culinary-arts programs nationwide while honoring America’s professional culinary-arts teachers, was the fifth such dinner hosted by Olson Communications.

To recognize the positive impact of The Art Institute of Washington’s culinary-arts program on businesses in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area and beyond, Sharon Olson, founder and president of Olson Communications, presented a plaque and $500 grant to Dr. Suzanne Hintz, the school’s dean, and Chef Stephen Abel, the instructor who guided students’ efforts for the dinner, to benefit professional development of culinary-arts faculty.

“Your students demonstrated extraordinary talent, passion and creativity at the International Foodservice Editorial Council dinner we hosted for leading foodservice editors,” Olson said. “We are delighted that they were undaunted by the challenge we posed with the market basket of products we asked them to transform into an exquisite culinary experience.”

About The Art Institute of Washington
The Art Institute of Washington, a branch of The Art Institute of Atlanta, offers diplomas in culinary arts and baking and pastry; associate degrees in culinary arts, culinary arts with a concentration in baking and pastry, and wine, spirits and beverage management; and bachelor’s degrees in culinary-arts management and food-and-beverage management. The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), a system of more than 45 education institutions located throughout North America, is an important source of design, media-arts, fashion and culinary-arts professionals. The International Culinary Schools at The Art Institutes aim to help prepare students for the ever-changing and increasingly sophisticated tastes in world cuisines.

Since 1988 Olson Communications has specialized in offering personalized, uniquely crafted marketing communication strategies for food business clients based in the United States and abroad. The agency’s business strategy of remaining small while exceeding the range and depth of service typical of larger food marketing agencies has earned Olson Communications international recognition. Visit http://www.olsoncom.com for more information.

Source: Olson Communications