Culinary and Hospitality

Nov. 24, 2020 – The American Artisanal Cheese Industry is defined by hints of European inspiration but is flourishing on its own at a level few outside culinary circles realize. Sheri Allen, American Cheese Society (ACS) Certified Cheese Professional (CCP), ACS Certified Cheese Sensory Evaluator (CCSE), owner of Artisanal Touch Events and Professional Member of Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, travels the globe to experience the cultural and culinary intricacies of artisanal, farmstead and specialty cheeses as only an expert can do.

Some of her travels are nearby. Just a short excursion from her home base north of Salt Lake City is Rogue Creamery, a Certified “B” Corp,* near Medford, Oregon. Founded in 1933, the creamery makes organic Rogue River Blue Cheese, one of its many blue cheese and cheddar varieties. Produced seasonally around the Autumnal Equinox when milk from their grazed cows is the richest, Rogue River Blue Cheese is the first American-made cheese to be named World Champion, earning that prestigious honor at the 2019 World Cheese Awards held in Bergamo, Italy, Sheri said to Chaîne during a Nov. 20, 2020 phone interview.

“It’s incredibly expensive but it’s worth every penny and it’s worth every bite. It’s my favorite Blue. I absolutely adore it,” Sheri said. At a 2019 event she planned, she paired the Rogue River Blue with a sweet Riesling. “Blue cheese is a great pairing with any kind of sweet Riesling, sweet dessert wine or Port, something with some body and richness and mouthfeel to it.”

Last June (photo below) Sheri conducted a virtual cheese-only tasting for all Chaîne members. The event was so successful Sheri orchestrated a wine and cheese pairing event in October for Chaîne members. Janie Brooks Heuck from Brooks Winery of Amity, Oregon, an award winning winery in the Willamette Valley, joined Sheri for the well received virtual pairing event. With experience near and far, Sheri is an integral part of the burgeoning artisanal cheese industry in the United States.

Since 2013, sales of artisanal/specialty cheeses have increased 15 percent to more than 4 billion dollars, the top category of specialty foods, according to the ACS and the Specialty Food Association. There are nearly 1,000 artisan and specialty cheesemakers in the United States. While every state is home to a community of artisanal cheesemakers, Wisconsin, California and New England, especially Vermont, are the three top regions for production, Sheri explained.

ACS Definitions
What is the difference between artisan, farmstead and specialty cheese? The following are ACS definitions as stated on their website.

Artisan
The cheese is produced primarily by hand, in small batches, with particular attention paid to the tradition of the cheesemaker’s art, and thus using as little mechanization as possible in the production of the cheese.

Farmstead
The cheese must be primarily made by hand with milk from the farmer’s own herd, or flock, on the farm where the animals are raised. Milk used in the production of farmstead cheeses may not be obtained from any outside source. Care and attention must be paid to the purity, quality, and flavor of the milk. The cheese must be ripened naturally, with emphasis on development of characteristic flavor and texture and without the use of shortcuts and techniques to increase yield and shelf life at the expense of quality. Respect for the traditions and history of cheesemaking are expected regardless of the size of the production.

Specialty
Specialty cheese is defined as a cheese of limited production, with particular attention paid to natural flavor and texture profiles.

This knowledge is just a tiny fraction of the tip of the iceberg there is to learn about cheeses and cheesemaking.

With more than 12 years dedicated solely to the artisanal cheese industry, Sheri is deep into the iceberg of knowledge about the hundreds of families and types of cheeses.

Sheri (above photo) completed an affinage internship in France with renowned affineur Herve’ Mons. Sheri is in an aging cave washing wheels of French Sheep Milk Cheese. (Photo: Courtesy of Sheri Allen)

She began her career in the late 1990s when she was employed at a food brokerage and then in 2008, she went to work for a specialty cheese importer. In 2014, she learned of ACS’s new certification as a cheese professional, the Certified Cheese Professional (CCP), which requires 4,000 hours of experience in order to apply to take the certification test, a three-hour test with 150 questions. After studying for one year, she traveled to Rhode Island to take the test. Administered by the same testing company that administers the Bar Exam to law students, Sheri found herself socializing with law students in a bar after taking her test. When asked if she took the Bar Exam, she replied she took “the Bar Exam for Cheese.” Needless to say, she received a few quizzical looks.

Of 500 people who took the Bar Exam for Cheese in 2015, 55 percent passed. Sheri was one of them.

In 2015, she went out on her own as the founder of Artisanal Touch Events.

In 2018, she was asked to take the test for a new ACS certification – Certified Cheese Sensory Evaluator (CCSE). Fifty people took the test during which they were given 12 cheeses to evaluate and 10 glasses of milk with aromas they had to identify. Sheri was one of 30 who passed.

Sheri said to think of her as a Master Sommelier for cheese. “I think cheese education is up and coming. A lot of people know their wines but they don’t really know their cheeses.”

She plans and participates in a myriad of events from cheese-only tastings, cheese pairings with wine, spirits or beer, and cheese education to pass on some of her extensive knowledge and experience.

In 2018, she toured northern Italy with the global cheese buyer for Whole Foods. She visited a Gorganzola cheesemaker, a cheesemaker who uses thistle as the rennet for curdling, and the area’s well known Parmigiano-Reggiano production where copper vats hold enough cheese to make two, 90-pound wheels.

As an educator with the U.S. Dairy Export Council, Sheri created the training curriculum manual for the USA Cheese Specialist Certification Program for Retail Professionals and has traveled twice to the Middle East in that capacity.

With her global perspective, she encourages Americans to think of cheese as a daily part of the diet and not merely a food for a cheese board at a holiday party. In Europe, cheese is the final course. A little nibble goes a long way. “I don’t eat a lot of cheese. I taste a lot of cheese. There’s a difference,” Sheri said.

Sheri recommends getting to know a cheesemonger. “Make your cheesemonger at your local retailer your best friend because they are usually very knowledgeable and can help direct people to trying different things,” Sheri said.

Three farmstead cheesemakers Sheri mentioned surely are on the radar of their local cheesemongers. They are: Marieke Gouda of Thorp, Wisconsin; Veldhuizen Cheese of Dublin, Texas; and Sweet Grass Dairy of Thomasville, Georgia.

Marieke Penterman’s husband emigrated from the Netherlands to Wisconsin in 2002 to start a dairy farm. Marieke followed one year later. Missing Dutch cheese, she is the founder of Marieke Gouda. In 2006 shortly after producing her first batch of Gouda, Marieke Gouda won a gold award and in 2013, her Gouda was named United States Grand Champion.

There are always surprises around the corner for Sheri. While most people do not think of Texas as an artisan cheesemaking center, she recently received samples from Veldhuizen Cheese of Dublin, Texas and was very impressed. Begun in 2000, the company recently added cheese made from sheep’s milk.

Sweet Grass Dairy of Thomasville, Georgia is a farmstead cheesemaker started in 2000 by Jeremy and Jessica Little. On their website, they say cheesemaking is equal parts art and science. With just four ingredients – milk, salt, rennet and cultures – more than 900 types of cheese can be made, they explain. Because of Georgia’s climate, Sheri said Sweet Grass Dairy cows can graze 365 days a year.

With so many wonderful options for artisan cheeses that can be purchased online, the holidays provide an opportunity to broaden one’s palate beyond the basics to develop a new outlook on cheese as a daily treat, suitable even for dessert. “It’s a wonderful way to be,” Sheri said.

Meet Sheri

Sheri will be a panelist on Dec. 1, 2020 at “Four Cocktails and Cheese for the Holidays,” a virtual event hosted by Michael Landis, ACS CCP, ACS CCSP. Click in to watch Sheri’s pairing of a Liquid Bourbon Ball cocktail with Beehive Cheese “Pour Me A Slice.” That sounds like just the ticket for these challenging times! The event is free but registration is required.

Sheri is available for Chaîne in-person or virtual events. She can be contacted at 801-699-0440 or email: artisanaltouchevents@gmail.com.

*A “B” Corp is a company that has met specific guidelines for community and sustainability.

Links

American Cheese Society

Brooks Winery (Oregon)

Rogue Creamery (Oregon)

Marieke Gouda (Wisconsin)

Veldhuizen Cheese (Texas)

Sweet Grass Dairy (Georgia)

Beehive Cheese (Utah)

Oct 21, 2020 – Brilliantly orchestrating task flow in a kitchen or a classroom is a tall order. When your kitchen is a college classroom and you must do both simultaneously to educate the next generation of culinary professionals, a master conductor is needed. The American Culinary Federation (ACF) recently named Chef Jennifer Denlinger, Ph.D., CCC, CHEP, Culinary Management department chair at Florida’s Valencia College and six-year member of the Orlando Balliage of Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, as their 2020 Chef Educator of the Year.

Through her participation in Chaîne, Denlinger was awarded a Bronze and Silver Star of Excellence in 2016 and 2017 respectively. She is also a Charge de Presse Provincial Hon for the Southeast.

“On behalf of all Chaîne des Rôtisseurs members and Balliages, I congratulate Chef Denlinger on her recognition from the American Culinary Federation as their 2020 Chef Educator of the Year. As the world’s oldest international, gastronomic society, Chaîne sponsors young chef and young sommelier competitions and our Chaîne Foundation awards scholarships to students studying in those fields. It’s exciting to call the Chef Educator of the Year one of our own and we look forward to our continued support of students studying hospitality arts and young culinary professionals as they commence their careers,” Bertrand De Boutray, Bailli Delegue des Etats-Unis, said.

Jennifer has invited her students to attend Chaîne events with her so they can experience the culinary world they are entering.

“It gives me great pleasure to see Jennifer win the ACF’s Chef Educator of the Year award. It’s wonderful that someone who has been active within Chaîne’s Young Chef Program has achieved such a prestigious award, especially with all of the wonderful chefs who are part of the ACF. She is a model for all young chefs to follow,” Reimund Pitz, Conseiller Culinaire et des Professionels des Etats-Unis, said.

Valenica College is also proud to have Chef Denlinger as a faculty member and one of their own.

“Chef Jenn, as we all call her, has an amazing ability to combine her love for cooking with educating our future chefs of America using creative and fun techniques that keep students engaged and inspired,” Jennifer Robertson, executive dean of Valencia’s Poinciana Campus, said in a college press release. “I am extremely proud of all her accomplishments and particularly her most recent award of Chef Educator of the Year.” Valencia’s Poinciana Campus in Kissimmee is where the culinary program is offered.

There are no shortcuts to authentically motivating students to learn just as there are no shortcuts to flawlessly executing exquisite culinary experiences.

Chef Denlinger has mastered both Herculean tasks through her 14 years of teaching experience, first at Le Cordon Bleu and then for the last four years at Valencia, and her years of experience as a chef at many Disney World restaurants.

In an August 18th telephone interview with Chaîne, Jennifer said she has a busy fall teaching a full schedule of classes at Valencia, which will be delivered virtually. She has lessons ready to go in Food and Beverage Cost Control Management; Food and Beverage Management; Food Safety and Sanitation; and Restaurant and Foodservice Management.

Due to the pandemic, Valencia has altered their course offerings so more classes can be taken virtually in the fall and courses with a lab taken in 2021 as COVID-19 hopefully wanes.

In her Food Safety and Sanitation course, there is extensive content to learn so Professor Denlinger decided to add an element of fun. She developed an “Escape Room” activity in which students must find and answer a series of clues in her kitchen classroom in order to escape the room, in a figurative sense as there is not a locked door that opens once all of the clues are found. Her Escape Room clues reinforce course content. For the final clue, students either open a jar of candy or a jar of dried beans depending on their answer. It’s not a surprise this class is very popular with Valencia students!

For her education excellence, the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAFE) recognized Jennifer with their 2020 Innovation Award, sponsored by the Idaho Potato Commission. Many CAFE members are high school instructors so Jennifer offers them access to a Dropbox account where they can download her PowerPoint presentations and learning activities, a generous gesture that took on added value as high schools closed last spring due to the pandemic.

Jennifer said the pandemic has been a mixed blessing. On the positive side, she has been refining her curriculum. “It’s given me time to refine things that I can so that way, when we’re ready to go again, it’s going to be a horse out of the gate; full speed ahead for the best possible educational experience that we can offer,” Jennifer said during the Chaîne phone interview.

In the meantime, she and her fellow professors are busy adapting their curricula for the online environment by making coursework available to students through Valencia’s learning management system.

ACF Chef Educator of the Year award

In April 2020, the ACF notified Jennifer she was selected from seven entrants to represent the Southeast Region in the national Chef Educator of the Year competition.

To avoid canceling the competition when their in-person convention was not possible, the ACF cleverly crafted a digital competition.

Jennifer mailed a thick binder, with seven sections of pertinent information, to four judges. After obtaining clearance to be on campus, she held a live demo for the judges on July 8, 2020 from her kitchen classroom. Andy and Victor, her IT team, came through with flying colors. They set up four cameras and a computer to live stream her 45-minute demo via Zoom.

Three judges watched as she made Chicken Chausseur, mashed potatoes, glazed carrots oblique cut and broccoli buerre noisette. To mirror an actual class, she introduced the concept of peer review, an effective pedagogical strategy she incorporates when she instructs her students to make the identical menu.

Without any technical glitches and just an errant drip as she was plating a dish, Jennifer took a deep breath when it was over. “We cleaned up and came back home. Of course, I spent the entire night second guessing every little thing I did,” Jennifer said.

Through another Zoom session the next day at noon, Jennifer received some suggestions but overall, excellent feedback on her demo. Yes, the judges noticed the drip!

Signing off Zoom again, she was told to connect again at 1 p.m. to hear the results. “I paced the living room for a little bit,” Jennifer said.

At 1 p.m., Jennifer, three other regional competitors, the judges and ACF officials virtually reconvened. They declared  Chef Jennifer Denlinger the winner. “I took a big sigh of relief,” Jennifer said. And then she had to keep it a secret for one month!

Since the announcement has been made public, Jennifer has received requests for her curriculum and to sit on boards and panels. What the new year will bring is unknown. But she does know she is at the “tip of the iceberg” of educational ideas she wants to develop into lessons to implement in her classroom.

Chef Denlinger is a master conductor.

Not many people have prestigious hats gracing their closet shelves as Jennifer does. When it’s time for graduation exercises at Valencia, she grabs her doctoral tam to top her doctoral robes. When it’s time for a culinary educational event, she grabs her toque blanche as conductor of her culinary orchestra of students. Whatever hat it is, it’s hats off to Chef Denlinger!

Sept. 21, 2020 – The challenge of serving meals consistently and perfectly to hundreds or thousands of people at a time intrigued Reimund Pitz as a young man. Deciding against a career as a professional boxer, instead he found he had a knack for what intrigued him, a knack he has refined for more than 40 years through education, experience and commitment to reach the pinnacle of his profession. In October, Chef Reimund Pitz, Conseiller Culinaire et des Professionnels des Etats-Unis of la Chaîne des Rotisseurs and chef owner of Orlando’s highly acclaimed Le Coq Au Vin restaurant, will be inducted into the American Academy of Chefs (AAC) Hall of Fame, the highest plateau in the food service industry in the United States, Reimund said during a Sept. 3, 2020 telephone interview with Chaîne.

“On behalf of all of the Balliages and Chaîne members, we heartily congratulate Chef Reimund Pitz on his upcoming induction into the AAC Hall of Fame. Throughout his distinguished career, Reimund has excelled in the kitchen, in his local community and in his worldwide community of culinary professionals. We are particularly grateful for Reimund’s tireless efforts leading Chaîne’s outreach to young chefs. His innovative approach to mentoring and supporting young chefs bodes well for the future and we are excited to be on that journey with him.” Bertrand de Boutray, Bailli Délégué des Etats-Unis, said.

Reimund serves on the Conseil Magistral, Chaîne des Rotisseurs in Paris, the only American professional chef to be awarded a Red Ribbon. And in 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron approved Reimund for the Ordre Du Merite Agricole.

Early in his culinary career, Reimund’s interest in planning and serving high quality meals to thousands of people became a reality. Hired by Walt Disney World Center in 1976 as an area chef, Reiumnd was promoted to Sous Chef at the Polynesian Resort in 1980. At the Grand Opening of EPCOT Center in 1982, Reimund was part of the culinary team who served a sit-down dinner to 10,000 people, including four former United States presidents. In 1988, Reimund was promoted to Executive Chef, Disney-MGM Studios, the youngest chef ever to ascend to that level at Disney.

That same year, Reimund earned eight Gold Medals and two Perfect Scores at the Culinary Olympics held in Frankfurt, Germany, a competition now in its 25th year.

In 1992, the American Culinary Federation (ACF) named Reimund their National Chef of the Year and from 1994-1995, he served as ACF’s national president.

If a little pixie dust is all that is needed to produce a world class chef, there would be millions of them. But there are not. Out of millions of members, Reimund is one of 80 chefs awarded the World Association of Chefs Societies World Medal. He received the World Medal in 2000, five years after leaving Disney to become Vice-President of Southeast Academy where he was responsible for strategically reorganizing the educational curriculum for all culinary programs and rebranding all three food service facilities open to the public. He carried some magical Disney pixie dust with him.

“I learned a lot during my tenure at Disney World. It made me the chef I am today.” Reimund said.

In 2007 after serving 11 years as Executive Chef of The Country Club of Orlando, Reimund and Sandy, his wife, took over Le Coq Au Vin in Orlando. The restaurant is a Zagat top-rated restaurant and is consistently rated locally as Orlando’s best restaurant for French cuisine.

The more than 50 medals and the plethora of awards Reimund has earned during his career are too numerous to name. He is especially proud of Chaîne’s Bronze Medal of Excellence (2011), the Silver Medal of Excellence (2012), and his 2014 Gold Star. In February 2020, he received the Chaîne des Rotisseurs Presidential Medallion.

He shares his success with Sandy, his wife; Baron and Cory, his sons; friends; and colleagues.

“My success I credit obviously to my wife, Sandy, who stayed with me through thick and thin, every step of the way. I could not have done that without her. She is also a Chaîne member,” Reimund said. They recently celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary.

Second, Reimund credits his success to those who work with him, not employees but members of his team.

“I don’t look at my employees here as employees. I look at them as team members, an extension of our family,” he said.

Chefs require not only sharp knives and but also sharp pencils to master the financial side of the business. Chef owners cannot stay in business long if expenses exceed revenue. Even the soap needed to wash a rack of glasses must be considered, Reimund noted. “You never stop learning. And education will continue in this business from the day you start entering this profession until the day you retire.”

Educational support for young chefs is at the heart of his busy schedule today and has been throughout his career.

For the past six years, he has led Chaîne’s Young Chefs program. In addition to hosting competitions and offering scholarships, Reimund has also infused the program with his innovative ideas. Chaîne members can now watch the competitions – and the next generation of chefs – in person. He wants to add more local competitions so many young chefs can participate and Chaîne members can celebrate their success while watching the future unfold before their eyes.

Again, Reimund quickly credits others, citing his Advisory Council for making Chaîne’s Young Chef program a success. Michael Ty, Vice Conseiller Culinaire et des Professionnels des Etats-Unis, Competitions, has worked tirelessly to nurture young chefs within the program.

“The Young Chefs program is alive and well. We are doing everything possible to try to develop some new programs and new initiatives to bring some programs down to the local level,” Reimund said. “If we don’t take the time now as professional restaurateurs, chef owners, and hotel owners to invest in our future now, there’s nobody going to be there to take over when we retire.”

Being able to impact young chefs from coast to coast through Chaîne and the ACF is very important to him. This year he served as manager of the ACF’s Culinary Olympic team who competed in the 2020 Culinary Olympics, held in February in Stuttgart, Germany. All team members, coaches and advisors were also Chaine members. “I thank the Chaîne for giving me the opportunity to serve as their National Culinaire.”

“Chef Reimund Pitz is one of Chaîne’s real treasures. He has made our young chef’s program a staple in the culinary community and has educated and helped hundreds of young culinarians achieve their dream. There is no one person more deserving to be inducted into the American Academy of Chefs Hall of Fame.” Rufus Cressend, Chaîne Chancelier des Etats-Unis, said.

There might still be a little pixie dust floating in the air around Chef Pitz as he helps dreams come true for so many culinarians but Chef Pitz’s success is a story of lifelong learning, collaboration, commitment, and excellence in the kitchen and his community.

“As the great Walt Disney said, ‘You can have all of the dreams in the world but it takes people to make your dream a reality.’ And I truly believe that,” Master Chef Reimund Pitz, CEC, CCE, AAC, HOF, WCMC, said.