Chop Chat Chew

Join us for a conversation about Food, Labor and Climate Change with Professor Enrique C. Ochoa and Chef Chris Rodriguez. This is the third episode in the series called Pull Up a Chair, featuring the Rouxbe team in discussion with various leaders in food-spaces on diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the broad landscape of food.

During this conversation, you’ll hear from Ochoa about the global climate impacts of food policies and how they affect the local communities and cultures that produce identity crops like maize, and most importantly, how we can address climate change and the threats facing our global food supply chains.

The Event Document mentioned can be found at https://bit.ly/3kfUjO9.

*Enrique C. Ochoa* (they/them/he) is professor of Latin American studies and history at Cal State Los Angeles. Enrique grew up on the San Gabriel Valley and was raised by his Sicilian American mother and his Nicaraguan father, both of whom were middle school teachers. 

Enrique received their Ph.D. in history from UCLA and has been teaching at Cal State LA since 1995. In 2013-2014, Enrique was named the President’s Distinguished Professor, and from 2006-08, they held the Walter and Michi Weglyn Endowed Chair of Multicultural Studies at Cal Poly Pomona. The author and editor of multiple articles and several books, Enrique’s research focuses on Mexican and Central American history, food studies, Latinx studies, immigration, and teaching history and intersectional ethnic studies in K-16 classrooms and communities.

*Chris Rodriguez* grew up between Los Angeles and Baja California with ancestral roots in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, France, and Basque Country) and across Northern-Central Mexico. He is the descendant of classically trained chefs, crystalized by the culinary legacy of his great-grandfather's bacalao a la vizcaina, still prepared by his family to this day. 

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Gender, Ethnic and Multicultural Studies; as well as a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. 

You can watch the original video version of this episode on Rouxbe.

Join Chef Dan Marek in his virtual office as he welcomes all of your questions. From cooking techniques to course-specific questions, to how to turn your cooking passion into profit or simply hearing the perspective of a professional chef, Chef Dan tackled all variety of questions!

Dan Marek is a chef educator who has been teaching vegan and vegetarian cooking for over 15 years. At Rouxbe, he is our Director of Plant-Based Culinary and Development where he helps develop content, classes and builds courses for many of our partners.

Dan is a board member of Slow Food Austin, the Institute of Child Nutrition, and Conscious Capitalism. He has earned his BA in Journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and holds certificates in Nutrition from Cornell University.

Prior to his role with Rouxbe, Dan worked with Whole Kids Foundation training teachers and food service at schools across the country on nutrition and culinary best practices. He also worked as a Healthy Eating Educator at Whole Foods Market’s flagship store in Austin, TX, was a personal chef for some of Austin’s elite business people, taught classes in culinary techniques at Austin Community College, The Natural Epicurean, and Le Cordon Bleu.

Dan also regularly volunteers cooking or speaking about nutrition for the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Marathon Kids, Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, and the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin and Central Texas.

You can watch the original video version of this episode on Rouxbe.

Join Chefs Jacquy Pfeiffer, Alissa Wallers, and Scott Samuel for this episode on tool hacks.

The chefs will discuss how to come up with creative solutions using the tools you may already have in your kitchen, and will share some of their favorite hacks that just might surprise you!

This 3rd online course was developed by a team of chef educators and master cake decorators at The French Pastry School, this immersive 180-day online course teaches the principles of cake baking science, as well as how to execute 80+ new recipes and techniques from the comfort of your own home! 

We will review the key concepts presented in the course and discuss the recommended tools need to successfully create your own sculpted cottage cake as the capstone project.

Chef Jacquy Pfeiffer's exceptional career began with an apprenticeship in Alsace at the famous Jean Clauss Pâtisserie. Following his apprenticeship in Strasbourg, Pfeiffer went on to establish himself as a leading figure in the art of pastry working with some world-renowned families and establishments. Some of these include the Royal Family in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; the Sultan of Brunei; the Hyatt Regency, Hong Kong; a prestigious pastry shop in Palo Alto, California; and both the Fairmont and Sheraton hotels in Chicago, Illinois. These experiences led Chef Pfeiffer to teach and consult in numerous of the most prominent properties and companies worldwide, such as the Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the Atlantis Hotel in the Bahamas, and the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas, Texas.

In 1995, Jacquy Pfeiffer along with Sébastien Canonne, founded The French Pastry School where their team is devoted to imparting excellence. Today, The French Pastry School is considered one of the leading pastry institutions in the world.

Spanning nearly 30 years, Chef Scott Samuel’s distinguished culinary career has included leadership roles in culinary innovation, instruction, operations and program development. Before joining Rouxbe as the Vice President of Culinary, Scott served as the Director of Culinary Innovation for Zipongo, a digital health company focused on making it easier to eat well. Prior to Zipongo Scott worked with The Culinary Institute of America as the Executive Chef of the college’s Strategic Initiatives Group and as an instructor in the culinary arts degree program where he coordinated the food operations for the culinary college’s industry leadership conferences, including Menus of Change, in partnership with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Scott earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel & Restaurant Administration from Washington State University and spent a summer studying at the Cesar Ritz Institute of Hotel Management in Switzerland.

You can watch the original video version of this episode on Rouxbe.

Join Chef and Author Barton Seaver in his virtual office as he welcomes all questions.

Barton Seaver is one of the world’s leading sustainable seafood experts and educators. He traded his illustrious career as an award-winning chef leading top seafood restaurants, DC, for traveling the world as an Explorer with the National Geographic Society. Barton translated his experiences into leadership in sustainable seafood innovations, garnering him positions with the United States Culinary Ambassador Corp, the University of New England, the New England Aquarium, and the Harvard School of Public Health. Barton works on initiatives to inform consumers and institutions about how our choices for diet and menus can promote healthier people, resillient ecosystems, more secure food supplies, and thriving communities.

An internationally recognized speaker, Barton has delivered lectures, seminars, and demos to a multitude of audiences. He has written seven seafood-centric books, including For Cod and Country and American Seafood and has contributed to dozens of publications, including Cooking Light, The New York Times, and Saveur, among many others. He has appeared on 60 Minutes, CNN, NPR, 20/20 and the TED Talk stage.

He is the founder of Coastal Culinary Academy, a multi-platform initiative that seeks to increase seafood consumption through seafood-specific culinary education for all levels of cooks.

You can watch the original video version of this episode on Rouxbe.

Chef Fran is going to bust some myths surrounding vegan desserts and delve into the reasons for the exponential growth in this category. Join her for what is sure to be a lively conversation.

Fran Costigan is internationally renowned as the authority on vegan desserts. Trained at the New York Restaurant School and Natural Gourmet Institute, Fran was a chef in both traditional and vegan pastry kitchens before moving into teaching over 20 years ago. A lifelong chocoholic and long time vegan, Fran’s latest book, Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy Free Desserts, (Running Press 2013) is for all who madly, deeply love chocolate desserts, whether or not dietary considerations are an issue.

Her previous cookbook, More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts Naturally (Book Publishing Company 2006) is the basis of the Costigan Vegan Baking Boot Camp Intensive®.

For more information, www.francostigan.com

You can watch the original video version of this episode on Rouxbe.

Join Chef and Instructor Eric Wynkoop in his virtual office as he welcomed all questions for this episode of Office Hours from April 12th 2022.

Eric Wynkoop previously served as a founding faculty member at The International Culinary School, instructor in anthropology at Portland State University, and Senior Instructor at the Le Cordon Bleu program at Western Culinary Institute, in Portland, Oregon. He holds Master’s Degrees in postsecondary education and cultural anthropology, as well as credentials in Ayurveda wellness and cooking.

Eric has spent more than twenty years in the food and beverage industry. His experiences include banquet management, catering, personal chef, winery cellar hand, educator, textbook contributor, consultant, and ethnographer. He also brings food and cultural insight from nearly a decade of residence in Japan, studies in Mexico, and research in India as a Fulbright Scholar. After graduating from the University of Oregon with a dual degree in Japanese and Asian Studies, he went on to receive his formal culinary training at Western Culinary Institute, in Portland, Oregon.

Eric’s role with Rouxbe is central to enhancing the student experience through quality course content and new course development at Rouxbe. Eric is also the lead instructor in Rouxbe courses, a role which he has enjoyed since 2016.

You can watch the original video version of this episode on Rouxbe.

It’s springtime and one of the first crops up is bountiful mixture of salad greens. In recent years there has been an explosion of availability both at the market and coming from gardeners’ backyards.

Join Chef Barton Seaver to explore the diversity of this versatile ingredient category. Discover how different cuisines both build upon salad greens and showcase them. We’ll discuss the endless variety of greens and their preparations.

Did you enjoy today's event? If so, please consider making a donation to World Central Kitchen as they continue to feed Ukrainian refugees.

Barton Seaver is one of the world’s leading sustainable seafood experts and educators. He traded his illustrious career as an award-winning chef leading top seafood restaurants, DC, for traveling the world as an Explorer with the National Geographic Society. Barton translated his experiences into leadership in sustainable seafood innovations, garnering him positions with the United States Culinary Ambassador Corp, the University of New England, the New England Aquarium, and the Harvard School of Public Health. Barton works on initiatives to inform consumers and institutions about how our choices for diet and menus can promote healthier people, resillient ecosystems, more secure food supplies, and thriving communities.

An internationally recognized speaker, Barton has delivered lectures, seminars, and demos to a multitude of audiences. He has written seven seafood-centric books, including For Cod and Country and American Seafood and has contributed to dozens of publications, including Cooking Light, The New York Times, and Saveur, among many others. He has appeared on 60 Minutes, CNN, NPR, 20/20 and the TED Talk stage.

He is the founder of Coastal Culinary Academy, a multi-platform initiative that seeks to increase seafood consumption through seafood-specific culinary education for all levels of cooks.

You can watch the original video version of this episode on Rouxbe.

Join us for a conversation about Food, Power, and Gender to commemorate Women’s History Month with Jamila Robinson, Food Media Editor for Philadelphia Inquirer and Chef Eryne Zerihun. This is the second episode in the series called Pull Up a Chair, featuring the Rouxbe team in discussion with various leaders in food-spaces on diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the broad landscape of food.

During this conversation, you’ll hear from Jamila Robinson about the role that media plays in food, the visibility and climate of Women and Persons of Color trailblazing through the glass ceiling, and her vision for building a more socially and racially equitable restaurant world.

*Jamila Robinson* is the food editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer where she leads a team of reporters and directs its multiplatform food content franchise. Previously, Jamila was an editorial director for Atlantic Media where she led content strategy projects for media companies. 

Previously, Jamila was an editorial director for Atlantic Media where she led content strategy projects for media companies, a senior content strategist for the USA TODAY NETWORK, where she managed editorial strategy for special projects including USA TODAY’s Wine and Food Experience; a senior editor for features at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, leading its features and entertainment team. 

Jamila is the chair of the James Beard Foundation Journalism Committee, which organizes the highest honor in food media. She is also the North American Academy chair of the World's 50 Best Restaurants. 

Jamila is an idea person, an avid traveler, and in her free time, coaches figure skating. Her love language is pie.

Born and raised between Los Angeles and Pomona, *Eryne Zerihun* has had cooking in her blood since the age of 5 when her father would allow her to be his Sous-Chef on the nights that he made dinner. Though her path was planned to have a career in Criminal Justice, her purpose would come to fruition in college where she would cook meals for students in the dorm halls and her friends. She realized during that time that community, laughter, and great food provided experiences that would forever leave an impression. By chance and with a request from a friend’s brother who needed help finding a great pastry school, 2 days after Eryne graduated college she enrolled in Culinary School and never looked back. 

By 2017, Eryne rose through the ranks to become the youngest female Black Executive Chef at Bar Bombon in the heart of the Philly food scene and was featured in a digital series on YouTube called Veggie Hunter, Top Vegan Restaurants in the Philadelphia area. By 2021, she was inspired by the never ending unique and diverse East Coast brunching scene, betted on herself and embraced her entrepreneurial spirit by launching her first brand, Everyday WE Brunch! where she took it back to her roots and embraced memorable food experiences by curating one-of-a-kind brunch options and artisanal cocktails that could be enjoyed any day of the week and not just on the weekends. Eryne’s motto is that great food should be orgasmic and encapsulated by great shared experiences. 

In her free time, Eryne can be found creating her next lifestyle brand and having full R&B singing sessions in the car while thinking about the next meal she will create or restaurant to try a new experience. 

You can watch the original video version of this episode on Rouxbe.

Join Chef Char Nolan in her virtual office as she welcomes all of your questions. From cooking techniques to course-specific questions, to how to turn your cooking passion into profit or simply hearing the perspective of a professional chef, Chef Nolan tackled all variety of questions!

Char Nolan is a serious crusader for plant-based education, armed with a degree in public health from Philadelphia’s Temple University. She teaches nutrition and plant-based cooking throughout Philadelphia, and in many underserved communities. Char holds a certificate in plant-based nutrition from eCornell and completed Rouxbe’s Plant-Based Professional Certification course in 2015. In 2019, Char completed post-graduate course work in social media marketing at the University of the Arts. When she is not cooking or teaching, she manages social media accounts for several plant-based influencers.

Char prides herself on learning everything she knows about cooking from growing up in her grandparents’ Italian restaurant. Her favorite vegetables are Brussels sprouts and kale, of course. Char originally hails from Queens, NY, but has lived in Philadelphia most of her adult life. She is a former Peace Corps Volunteer.

You can watch the original video version of this episode on Rouxbe.

Join Chef Dan Marek in his virtual office as he welcomes all of your questions. From cooking techniques to course-specific questions, to how to turn your cooking passion into profit or simply hearing the perspective of a professional chef, Chef Dan tackled all variety of questions!

Dan Marek is a chef educator who has been teaching vegan and vegetarian cooking for over 15 years. At Rouxbe, he is our Director of Plant-Based Culinary and Development where he helps develop content, classes and builds courses for many of our partners.

Dan is a board member of Slow Food Austin, the Institute of Child Nutrition, and Conscious Capitalism. He has earned his BA in Journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and holds certificates in Nutrition from Cornell University.

Prior to his role with Rouxbe, Dan worked with Whole Kids Foundation training teachers and food service at schools across the country on nutrition and culinary best practices. He also worked as a Healthy Eating Educator at Whole Foods Market’s flagship store in Austin, TX, was a personal chef for some of Austin’s elite business people, taught classes in culinary techniques at Austin Community College, The Natural Epicurean, and Le Cordon Bleu.

Dan also regularly volunteers cooking or speaking about nutrition for the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Marathon Kids, Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, and the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Austin and Central Texas.

You can watch the original video version of this episode on Rouxbe.