 I would like to start off with a thank you to all the Chefs in Houston, San Antonio, South Plains and Beaumont for helping feed the people displaced by Hurricane Ike. You are a credit to your profession and your community. These are the only chapters I am aware of, but if Katrina and Rita are any indication of our chefs commitment, I am sure many other chapters were involved. Some of you may still be serving the displaced.
The Lone Star Chef is on it's sunset voyage. December will be the final go by and then the 21st Century has arrived. As you know, your local director will have a copy of the minutes on hand for your approval. I just received from our "parent organization" in St. Augustine the 2009 ACF Awards Applications, starting with U.S.A.'s Chef of the Year Award, Pastry Chef of the Year Award, Chef Professionalism Award, Student Chef of the Year Award, Chef Educator of the Year Award, Hermann G. Rusch Chef's Achievement Award Chapter Achievement Award and the Achievement of Excellence Award for 2009. All Award applications must be in San Augustine at the ACF office by October 31, 2008.
There is a competition for all Culinary Students which I received, called the Dole Chill Out with prize money of $2500.00. Email me and I will fax the application to you, deadline is also October 31, 2008.
The next two months will be very hectic. A Texas team is cooking in Hungary.
The Culinary Olympics, and the Chili Cook-off are just around the corner. This year we had 39 chefs cook their hearts out at the State Fair of Texas, before an estimated 4000 fair goers.
These are the latest news happenings around the TCA.
Good cooking
Chef "E"
From the desk of Ewart Jones, CEC, AAC - State 1st Vice President
We at the Houston Food Bank are operating at four times its usual capacity to provide food, water and other necessities to individuals affected by Hurricane Ike. The food bank is distributing more than 500,000 pounds of disaster relief product each day.
More than 130 partner agencies are now operational: among them, Houston Food Bank's newest partner distribution organization, and the Montgomery County Food Bank. Another 20 agencies received emergency certification to receive and distribute food from Houston Food Bank. Our operating hours have been extended at the Houston Food Bank from 7 am to 7 pm, seven days a week. Four additional off-site storage facilities are in operation to handle the massive quantities of product being received and delivered by the Food Bank. Staff from other food banks around the country are in Houston to help Houston Food Bank, sent by Feeding America (formerly America's Second Harvest-The Nation's Food Bank Network).
My staff of two, myself and a few students feed the Food Bank staff and volunteers seven days a week, plus the Boys and Girls Club.
Today, I plan to spend my evening working with the Red Cross to feed the evacuees.
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