Catching Up

It has been a very hectic four months. I have made over sixty appearances between January and April of this year which has helped to develop my business, The American Chef, and promote my book.

Recently, I was in Dallas as a guest speaker at the Best American Teen Chef Competition. This is the second year that I have had the honor to attend. The competition is run by Art Institutes International . Art Institutes does a tremendous job educating the next generation of young chefs. I think that the regional finals competition could be the highlight of a young chef’s career.

After Dallas I spoke and cooked at the opening dinner for the American Council of Engineering Companies annual convention here in Washington D.C. I had a great time at the convention. I got to move around the room and talk with over 400 attendees. There were lots of hilarious questions to answer; I think the amount of wine consumed had something to do with that. Another highlight of the evening was a tongue in cheek comedic debate between impersonators of Hillary Rodham Clinton and George W. Bush. This mock debate was very funny.

On May 8th I headed off to Wisconsin for a couple of days. There I talked to students and the faculty of the Waukesha Technical College which is located just outside of Milwaukee. I spoke at both a lunch and a dinner. The highlight of this visit was going behind the scenes to give a cooking demo and talk to about 20 of the students at the school. The students there are very inquisitive folks. They asked lots of good questions on how to succeed in the food and beverage business. The culinary program at Waukesha Technical College is very progressive and is taught by some extraordinary chef instructors. You can learn more about Waukesha Technical College at http://www.wctc.edu.

Finally, I got to do something I have wanted to do for quite a while! I did a book signing with an old friend of mine, Marvin Sturman, of Calistoga Estates Vineyards. Marvin makes five great varietals, that are really like good old friends - each one is fun and easy to be around and not overly self important. Marvin's Wines are approachable enough to want to drink everyday. If you get the chance, give Calistoga Estates Vineyards a try.

The book signing and talk was in my old neighborhood here in D.C. at Calvert Woodley, Direct Importer and Retailer of Fine Wine and Spirits. The event had a good turn out and I signed about 120 books.

Now I am off to Chicago for The National Restaurant Association Restaurant Show. This event will be big. There will be celebrity book signings by many celebrity chefs, including: Marcus Samuelsson, Thomas Keller, Ming Tsai, Cat Cora, and Rick Bayless.