School Scoops
School Happenings

Atlantic CulinaryAcademy

a Division of McIntosh College
Chaine Reaction
By Jim Gallivan, MAT, CCA, CCP, CFBE, Executive
Chef/Director of Education - Atlantic Culinary Academy,
a Division of McIntosh College

An avant-garde event, steeped in long tradition, was memorably
hosted this past fall by the Atlantic Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu
Culinary Arts Program at McIntosh College. This extraordinary dinner
event was for the New Hampshire Bailliage of the Confrerie de la
Chaine des Rotisseurs (with Boston, Colonial New England, and
Hartford Bailliages also invited.) For its student participants, this was
an initiation into the Chaine standards of culinary dining excellence—a
tradition for which our students may have raised the bar in presentation,
with their innovative garnishing of video footage.

On the big screen were scenes from the week’s preparations, videotaped
in our kitchens by McIntosh College Photograph Program graduate
Ray Mongeau. At crucial moments during service, Ray switched to
a live feed from the kitchen. Diners received their plate just moments
after they actually saw them assembled by the student brigade. One
Chaine member commented, “This was one of the best and most unique
events the Chaine has done. The ability to view the kitchen made me
appreciate all of the hard work everyone does to present such a spectacular
meal.”

But, let’s roll back the film. The first step in this event was, predictably,
an educational one, acquainting ACA student brigade and faculty
with the nature of the Chaine and its mission. With its modern
foundation in 1950 Paris, the Chaine celebrates the vision of Brillat-
Savarin, promoting not only fine dining and wines, but also the fellowship
and pleasures associated with a well turned-out table. Its traditions
are based on the French royal guild of goose roasters, dating back to the
13th century.

With some 20 years of experience of my own attending, planning
and executing Chaine events, I was able to detail “Chaine rules” of
service to a fascinated group of students. For instance, one rule is that
you begin to eat when you are served, not waiting for the rest of the
table to be served. So we trained the servers in “clock service,” where
a table of eight is all served in a few seconds. Another rule forbids
fresh flowers on the table—a sensory distraction. So, thanks to Chef
Murray Long CEC, CCE, the centerpieces were miniature ice carvings,
with salt dough details. Still another rule calls for the table setting to be
“sans sel et poivre”—the food is supposed to be already perfectly seasoned
in the kitchen, right?

The movement of the event was timed in minute detail. First would
be a tour of the school, cleverly masquerading as a champagne and hors
d’oeuvres amble. Chef instructors and their student commis treated
guests to a rapid-fire circuit through our curriculum via food sampling:
lobster bisque shooters in the sauce kitchen, steak tartare in the butchery,
sushi from International, and bison from American Regional…to
name just a few.

Once in the dining room, the event became even more stunning.
Typically at a Chaine event, each course and wine flight is introduced
by a Chaine member involved in the planning, usually the “Conseilleur
Culinaire.” This night, while the wine merchant presented his products,
an ACA student presented each course to the group, detailing not only
the preparation but also his or her involvement in it. Highlights of the
dinner menu, orchestrated by Chef Instructor Michael Ciuffetti, CEC,
included Autumn Cake, a seasonal pumpkin and chocolate version of a
classic Opera Cake, and the delightfully named “New Hampsha’
Knuckle Sandwich,” which featured veal in three states: a roasted
knuckle, a ragout, and as crispy sweetbreads. The menu itself was presented
on a CD, along with photos of the food, home-sized recipes, and
kitchen candids.

NH Bailly Roy Duddy requested a “curtain call” of the small army
that produced the dinner, in which students and faculty not only took a
bow but also introduced themselves and their hometowns. As a remembrance
of the night, Bailly Duddy sent enamel pins to the students who
worked the Chaine Des Rotisseurs event.