Maintenance

More maintenance will be scheduled on the FF ticketing hotline for tomorrow, Tuesday, November 1, 2011, from 6 am Pacific/9 am Eastern to 11 am Pacific/2 pm Eastern. We apologize for any inconveniences this may cause.

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Ainenl Attended Feast Fest Exhibition at Edelyn

-Punta Gorda, Fla.
-On the way to Montrèal for the Scouting Summit Tuesday and Wednesday, Parisian master and potential 2012 Feast Fest chef Claudien Ainenl took a detour here to Punta Gorda to take in the final FF exhibition before Thanksgiving.

"This was thrilling to see," said Ainenl. "There's such electrifying fast-paced energy at this event, I so hope the scouters and I can work something out to make me a part of it."

Ainenl had the opportunity to meet such FF fixtures as Jim McAllister, Lynn Avi, and Joe Pasik.

Pasik called Ainenl "unlike the average French chef."

"He has the free spirit of a chef from outside France. He's not restrictive like the French culinary instructors I had," Pasik elaborated.

Avi said it "was a pleasure to meet Ainenl."

"He's pleasant and professional and easygoing. If he gets signed, I'll look forward to working with him."



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98.8 at Edelyn

-Punta Gorda, Fla.
-The FF chefs were paving the way for a fantastic performance all night long at Edelyn Cooking Arena and got rewarded for this with a 98.8 NCA score, the highest of the 2011 exhibitional season. The MVC for Edelyn was Lisa Choi, who contributed 47 NCA points. It's the first MVC she's received at either an actual Feast Fest or an exhibition since 2008. "She [Choi] was in the groove all night long and really slammed it home for an MVC," commented Lynn Avi.

Aleck Monde, whose debut performance was highly anticipated, actually made the leaderboard in terms of NCA points, coming in fourth with 41.

"I loved seeing him out there tonight, he performed even better than I thought he would," said his father, Marc Monde, who was a popular FF chef from 1995 to 2004.

"I do admit now I had a heck of a lot of nerves beforehand!" Monde commented. "But there was something, something that surged through me when I took to the floor that melted my jitters and just made me feel like I could perform naturally."

And that's exactly what Monde did, garnering high praise from his fellow chefs, especially the "Original 7" chefs whose impressions were most vital to him.

The crowd remained throughout the night at Edelyn, dispersing only after the announcement of the official score. "They stayed all night long, on Halloween night, from 7 to Midnight they were in their seats, they loved every minute of it," said a grateful Joe Pasik. "Awesome crowd we had tonight."

This Halloween exhibition is the final of the year before Thanksgiving and will likely set the tone for Feast Fest on November 24th. "We had perfect chemistry tonight," gushed Jim McAllister. "You could feel everything was going the right way. Unlike back in Morro Bay on October 16th when we were messing up everything we came into contact with. I was awfully afraid that would carry over into tonight. But no, not at all, this was one of the best exhibitional performances I think we've ever had, and, heck, if we can carry this over to Feast Fest and bump up our performance levels just a bit, we might be able to get that coveted 99 rating."

McAllister's comments are statistically plausible. In ten of the last twelve years, the score of Feast Fest has been within 0.5 higher or lower of the score of the final exhibition.

The DigIn Bell Sounds at Edelyn

-Punta Gorda, Fla.
-It's 11 p.m. here in Florida and the horn has sounded for the end of the Official Cooking Portion here at Edelyn Cooking Arena.

Lisa Choi stuck to her points lead the whole way through and finished off with 47.

Aleck Monde, though nervous to start, really has shone through here in his debut exhibition.

The projected score is 98.6, but that will likely differ from the score handed down when all the tasting is said and done. The festivities are expected to end by Midnight Eastern/9 p.m. Pacific.

"This was an awesome exhibition. We really rocked this one," Choi said happily.

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After 3 Hours, 96.7

-Punta Gorda, Fla.
-The score continues to shoot up here in Punta Gorda with only an hour remaining.

Lisa Choi still leads the points board with 38, and debutee Aleck Monde is third with 32.

"He's having an awesome debut performance, I'm definitely liking him," said Jim McAllister during a quick break in action.

The crowd in attendance is still strong as the 10 o clock hour approaches.

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After 2 Hours, 94.4

-Punta Gorda, Fla.
-The NCA projected scores continue to rise as a very well-performed Halloween exhibition here at Edelyn Cooking Arena in Punta Gorda, Fla.

Halfway through the four hour exhibition, the projected score is 94.4.

Aleck Monde continues to shine in his debut performance, racking 23 NCA points so far.

Lisa Choi continues to be the points leader, so far with 27.

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After an Hour, 92.7

-Punta Gorda, Fla.
-With cooking here in Punta Gorda nearly a quarter of the way done, FF chefs have worked up a 92.7 projected NCA score so far.

In their past 20 exhibitions, FF chefs scored above 98.0 six times out of seven the score after an hour was above 91.5.

The rookie prospect Aleck Monde has had a strong showing thus far, seeming to shake off his pre-debut jitters and scoring 12 NCA points already. Matter of fact, so far, Monde has the second most points of all the chefs present, the top slot belonging to Lisa Choi, who has racked up 14 in her first hour.

All of the turkeys for the exhibition had begun cooking in the roasters by 7:37 p.m (ET).

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Cooking has begun at Edelyn

-Punta Gorda, Fla.
-The starting bell has just rung here for the final Feast Fest exhibition before the real big day, here at Edelyn Cooking Arena in Punta Gorda, Fla. The scheduled ending time for the exhibition is 11 p.m. Eastern/8 p.m. Pacific, meaning the chefs will have four hours to dish out approximately 192 turkeys, about half the number they will serve on Thanksgiving.

All the up to date coverage of this special Halloween exhibition will be posted right here.

Rookie chef Aleck Monde received a big roar from the crowd and his fellow chefs here at his debut exhibition after being signed to Feast Fest on September 30th.

Monde Speaks Up For His Son at Edelyn

-Punta Gorda, Fla.
-Former Feast Fest fixture Marc Monde told chefs and FF fans that "they should not expect" his son, Aleck Monde, making his FF debut at tonight's exhibition, "to be [him]."

"I want everyone to know that my son will shine the most if you just let him use his own methods and styles. I don't want you to expect him to be just like me, because he has a different style, and if you put those heavy expectations on him he'll falter," Monde said. "If you let Aleck relax and be himself out on the floor you'll see that you have a very masterful chef on your hands, even if he isn't a perfect copy of myself."

Aleck Monde called it "relieving" that his father warned FFers that he would not be a carbon copy of Marc, saying, "It will give me more breathing room out on the floor."

The final exhibition before Feast Fest on Thanksgiving is tonight at Edelyn Cooking Arena in Punta Gorda, Fla., beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern/4 p.m. Pacific.

Galen-Ames Confirms Summit Sit-Out

-Chicago
-Brianna Galen-Ames confirmed early Monday that she would not be attending a Feast Fest Scouting Summit tomorrow and Wednesday as she is still recovering from her broken ankle.

She said she will try to participate from her home via webcam, but that her computer was "experiencing technical difficulties," so that she was not certain she would be able to exercise this option.

Galen-Ames suffered her broken bone upon slipping on a waxed floor after storming out of a rowdy conference room Oct. 20.

Expert's Editorial: Marc Monde's Shoes: Too Big for Son Aleck to Fill?

-Expert commentator Mike Vilshire
-from Marina del Rey, Ca.

-Don't believe his shining smile and easygoing air.

Aleck Monde is scared. Terrified, actually.

And it will be on Halloween, the day of spookery, when Monde will have to step out onto the floor at Edelyn Cooking Arena in Punta Gorda, Fla., and see if he can be his father like all the veteran chefs want him to be.

Much blame is to be placed on vet chefs for the pressure Monde is feeling. They claim to know him and his style well; no. That's his father and his father's style they know well.

Marc Monde was without doubt one of the best and most beloved chefs ever to grace Feast Fest. His fellow veterans and "Original 7" chefs considered him a brother. And the family of the Original 7 seemed torn apart when Monde left abruptly in 2004.

Only three of the Original 7 chefs remain: Jim McAllister, Johnny Stevenson, and the splendidly talented if redundantly named Miller Miller. They remember the days when Feast Fest was an infant, when it was not even known by that name, the "Feast Fest floor" a cramped back kitchen and when they didn't cradle $500,000 a year for their efforts. They of course agree things are much improved now, but there's no removing from their brains and hearts this essential fact: those were the good old days, and Marc Monde, like Lindbergh Merrssff, was one of their favorite brothers.

So, as would seem natural, when the announcement came that Marc Monde's son would be joining Feast Fest, Original 7 chefs, as were other seasoned vets who remember much of Monde's era, were downright ecstatic. At Introduction and Initiation Saturday Oct. 22, the crowd roared when Monde took his place on the stage. These chefs think that just because Monde's son has rejoined that means that Monde himself has rejoined. But that train of thought could not be any more false.

Monde is talented. Very. But his style is different, as is his personality. Unlike his dad, Aleck is swift, scatterbrained, and often clumsy. Marc Monde was slower and more methodical. He is also quieter and shy, unlike the joking, loud-mouthed Marc. Aleck also has different culinary preferences. Whereas Marc has about a 50/50 split between French and Americana cooking experiences, Aleck's are more French and Continental European and in fact have little All-American influences. This does not mean he will not cook well when prepping a Thanksgiving dinner, as FF has on the roster several others all-French chefs who do well, but it does mean his styles and flavors will puzzle those whose taste buds expect a carbon copy of his father's foods.

And here is an eye-opener, kids. The hotel Monde is staying at received a front desk call Saturday night from a guest, saying the person in the next room--Aleck Monde--was throwing up and having an anxiety attack. Monde has a notoriously nervous stomach (yes, ironic) and was reportedly mumbling things to the effect of, "I can't do it. They want me to be Dad. I don't know how to be Dad. I'm my own person. I can't do this.". These comments are obviously in stark contrast from the optimism he's displayed at conferences.

I think Aleck Monde is full of culinary talent and that he will have tons of fun as a Feast Fest chef, but the vets need to realize this salient truth: Marc is gone, and you can't make his son the same person.

Let Aleck Monde be himself, his own person, on the floor at Edelyn tomorrow, and he'll shine way more than he will if he's standing there, puzzled, wondering, "Now, what would Dad do?"

Edelyn Exhibition Will Be First to Showcase Monde's Talents

-Punta Gorda, FL
-Feast Fest enthusiasts will have many reasons to watch Aleck Monde as he enters his first ever FF exhibition Monday.

Monde will have heavy expectations weighing him down as he is the son of former Feast Fest fixture Marc Monde, who dazzled on the floor from 1995 to 2004 and who has a place in the hearts of chefs like Jim McAllister and Johnny Stevenson as a fellow "Original 7" chef.

"Some vet chefs know how [Marc] Monde operated and are expecting the same thing from his son Aleck," commented McAllister, "but we have to remind ourselves that he could have a different style. We have to take a step back and observe tomorrow."

Monde himself says he knows what people are expecting. "My father knew how to put on a show while he was cooking. And I know I have to go out Monday and do the same thing to get in good with these great vet chefs, so that'll have to be my primary focus in this exhibition. If I can slamdunk a good exhibition here, then I think I'll relax a bit and be able to settle into my more natural culinary self when Thanksgiving comes around."

Marc Monde was expected to be in attendance at Feast Fest Nov. 24th, but he abruptly announced Saturday he was catching a plane from his Ottawa, Ontario, Canada home to Punta Gorda, not wanting to miss his son's first exhibition.

"Knowing that he'll be watching, some might say it would heighten the pressure on me, but I think it'll take some off and help me just enjoy things more," explained an anticipatory Monde late Sunday.

Chefs met for about two hours of culinary refresher training sessions Sunday afternoon at Edelyn, and fellow FF chefs said he looked "very fluid" and "crisp, fearless, and smoothly moving."

"I think he'll have a well above satisfactory breakout performance on Halloween," Lynn Avi wrote by email Friday.

Lindbergh Merrssff, another Original 7 chef who retired from FF in 2008, said, "Marc's kid will do awesome. The genes he has in him, he may feel anxious now but once he gets out there and gets into his natural groove, I know he'll shine."

Monde has two other NCA competitions under his belt coming into Edelyn: the 2010 All-Canada Cook-off and the 2011 Torontonian Chefs' Mastership, over which he amassed 56 NCA points.

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Maintenance

-Marina del Rey, CA
-Maintenance shall be performed on the FF ticket hotline Monday from 10 am PT/1 pm ET to 1 pm PT/4 pm ET.
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Caccicci Wants In

-Marina del Rey, CA
-The requests for chefship at Feast Fest 2012 just keep pouring in.

"If all these requests get filled, we could easily add more chefs in the 2011-2012 offseason than in any other offseason," commented Head Scouter Jim Dall.

The newest "I-want-in" has come from Florencian master Armando Caccicci, who has "always been fascinated with the American customs of Thanksgiving" and who feels "that the magnifico cuisine of Italia is underrepresented at Feast Fest."

Caccicci hopes to have talks with Feast Fest in the winter.

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Arrivals Begin at Edelyn

-Punta Gorda, FL
-Floridian Feast Fest fans have been fluttering fluffily up to the airport to watch the flights of the Feast Fest frontrunners freeze on the runway in fear of wrecking and to gaze in fascination at their Feast Fest favorites... too many "F"s?

Yeah, I suppose. But it is true. Feast Fest chefs are arriving today in Punta Gorda in preparation for the final exhibition for the real thing on Thanksgiving, tomorrow at Edelyn Cooking Arena.

It marks the first time an exhibition will be held on Halloween.

The exhibition was originally scheduled to take place Tues., Nov. 8, but a nearby construction project rendered Edelyn Cooking Arena unusable on that day and forced the event's rescheduling.

The only potential drawback to the rescheduling is that some fear low attendance at the 2,434-seat Edelyn due to it being Halloween. "That is something we have taken under consideration," says Feast Fest scheduler Bry Michaels, "but October 31st is the only workable date, we're afraid."

There are six scratches among the 61 chefs, meaning that 55 will participate at Edelyn Monday.

Most chefs are optimistic. "I've got a good feeling about this exhibition," said Jim McAllister. "This one'll set the tone for Thanksgiving Day and the momentum we have then and there. I'm excited."

One slight blow to be dealt is the absence of the Mason duo due to, of course, the scheduling. They claimed they would be present on November 8th, but had to scratch their names when the date was changed.

"We know they'll be with us in spirit and we know that they'll be honing their skills at home so that they'll be just as prepared on Thanksgiving as we are."

After a disappointing score of 87.4 at the last exhibition in Morro Bay, CA, FF chefs will look for a drastic improvement in the NCA rating for the Edelyn exhibition.

The exhibition will be streamed live online.




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Hischenging Comments Stir Rebuke

-Marina del Rey, CA
-If there's gonna be a little back-n'-forth, it'll be good back-n'-forth.

It took mere minutes early Sunday for Feast Fest chef Lynn Avi to rattle off a heated response to the interview of Simon Hischenging, Berlin gastronomic paragon, wherein he heavily bashed Feast Fest.

Avi answered each of the charges Hischenging hurled at Feast Fest in her response. "Not artsy?" she wrote. "I beg to differ. Our chef body has a great balance of sporty males and artsy females, and our chefs have been recognized as having only the most premier forms of and experience in the visual and aesthetical flourishes of a meal."

She also added, "And who ever was one to say the common man does not get a good impression of fine cuisine? The foods may be All-American and relatively common, but fanciful cuisine does not necessarily have to be synonymous with rare or foreign cuisine, nor should it be. Excluding America from the list of countries whose styles contribute to fine dining would be blasphemous. From a culinary standpoint, Mr. Hischenging, your comments are near tantamount to insulting the United States of America."

"And, while a concrete meal is being prepared here, our foreign and exotic-cuisine-based chefs all have unique touches that are evident in every bite of a Feast Fest guest's meal. Additionally, the ever-growing appetizers menu includes a great variety of Global noshes, such as the Chinese and Southeast Asian delicacies introduced to it in recent years."

Avi concluded her response by writing, "For a chef so globally experienced, your knowledge of the culinary workings of the U.S. seems appallingly slight. Come to Feast Fest next month, why don't you Mr. Hischenging, and experience why FF is so successful: it makes the culinary arts fun, interesting, and suddenly co-ed. It takes all global cuisines and blends them into a meal so familiar to we Americans: Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving dinner is comfort food, meaning that no fear will be had in taking the bold step to eating it, when in fact each corner of this world will be represented in every bite of this all-American meal."

Though Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt advised chefs not to add fuel to the fire, Avi said she "felt personally moved" to rattle off a response in defense of FF.

Her peers have called the response "masterful."

Hischenging has yet to respond to the response, and it is not known if he is even yet aware that one has been issued.

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Culinary Master Hischenging Takes Stab At Feast Fest

-Berlin
-Simon Hischenging, master Berlin chef, was interviewed last week and, it has now been found out, heavily bashed Feast Fest.

Experts say Hischenging may feel a desire for vengeance after an attempt to get the masterful Hischenging, 49, involved in Feast Fest in 2006 failed miserably.

Hischenging called Feast Fest "a disgrace to the culinary world," attempting to back up this claim by saying that FF "falsely connects the common man to Americanische cuisine, claiming it has 'global' styles when it actually has near to none." He also bashed its extensive roster of foreign chefs, saying that "those chefs are magnificent but are restrained from showing off their true culinary prowess." Another Feast Fest facet Hischenging disliked was "the way it compares itself to sport. Sport it is not. Cooking is an art form, and yet this is not exposed to the common man that way at Feast Fest. Most culinary events have the guests witnessing art in the making. Feast Fest is a hockey game with turkeys."

FF Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt called the words "of no consequence. We would not want chefs like Hischenging at FF anyway. Our chefs should shake off these comments and forget them."



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Lindbergh Merrssff to be 2011 G.O.H.

-Marina del Rey, CA
-The 2011 Feast Fest Guest of Honor, for whom the Ceremonial First Turkey is cooked and dedicated, will be Feast Fest legend Lindbergh Merrssff, said Executive Official Rita Willy midday Saturday.

"Lindbergh Merrssff will be our 2011 Guest of Honor, I am ecstatic and honored to report," Willy told reporters Saturday.

The Guest of Honor is usually a local celebrity, but Lindbergh Merrssff was chosen in honor of his 75th birthday. Former chefs or culinary noted names are chosen in place of local celebrities in the event of such significant events.

It is the first time since 2004 that a former chef has been the Guest of Honor. That year, the Ceremonial First Turkey was chowed down on by Kenneth Bastilion, and in 2002, L.A. Wild owners Jan and Suzy Jenkins served as Guests of Honor.

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Roasters "can be thanked for ... moister, higher-scoring" turkeys

-Marina del Rey, CA
-NCA Critic Lemance Bedeaux said Saturday that recent high individual ratings for Feast Fest turkeys have a stark potential connection to the switch from conventional ovens to specialized turkey roasters.

Bedeaux was interviewed Saturday. An NCA Critic, Bedeaux has critiqued and scored Feast Fest for fourteen years, and was asked for his predictions for FF 2011.

When asked about his predictions for individual foods, Bedeaux said, "Well, you know, [th]is [ear]ly in [the] game, it [is] hard to mak[e] those predi[ct]ions, but I can say that if they remain with the same methods with the tu[r]key, they will have great ratings in that depa[rt]men[t]."

When asked to explain his reasoning for this, Bedeaux added, "There [ha]s been a recent...revival of the
indiv[id]ual tu[r]key score, which I think can be attributed to [the] switch."

When asked what "switch" he referred to, Bedeaux elaborated further. "If you look at...the...chronological statistics...you shall see a great pe[rio]d, where there were great troubles...with the indiv[id]ual tu[r]key score...and you look and you see this stretch from about 2003 to 2007 where you were looking at, even when there were good overall scores, there were...very low indiv[id]ual tu[r]key scores by Feas[t] Fes[t] standards. Then came 2008, and the switch to roasters, and...just...boom...explosions of the scores. And you look at the logistical and chemical workings of both and compare them and see that the roasters have a design allowing for more moisture, which will consequently increase the indiv[id] tu[r]key scores."

FF Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt stated in response, "Mr. Bedeaux's statements could very well have weight. If we have another great individual turkey score this year, and one hopes we will, then we'll definitely investigate to see if the roasters may have made some contributions to the recent rise in turkey scores."




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Shelby Expresses Interest

-Marina del Rey, CA
-It has been confirmed that interest for joining Feast Fest in 2012 has been expressed by culinary master Jiji Shelby, of Midtown Manhattan, NY.

The Feast Fest Scouting Department has been looking for a "sister figure" to FF empress Lynn Avi, someone who could create a "tag-team" between the two, potentially to appeal to the female market so vital to Feast Fest.

They had one possible answer fall right into their hands Friday when Jiji Shelby, a prominent 5-star World chef, inquired to the Scouting Department of the possibilities for making her a Feast Fest chef in 2012.

Avi, the person Shelby would potentially be popularly and reportedly grouped with (although FF has no official two-chef "tag teams"), spoke highly of her, owning Lala, a restaurant just one street down from Shelby's. "Jiji is a good friend of mine and has always been jealous that I get to be a part of Feast Fest... [I'd] absolutely love to [have] her [be a] part of Feast Fest... she's an un[be]lievable master of so ma[ny] culin[ar]y arts... she's mastered some styles I still have y[e]t to learn."

Born in North London, Shelby is of mixed British-African-Indian descent, and has owned and operated the 5-star CHEW! in Manhattan since 2004. She has expressed interest in FF since 2009.


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Montrèal is Set as Summit Location

-Marina del Rey, CA
-Feast Fest executive official Arthur Ayeiy announced early Friday that the location for the Nov. 2-3 Scouting Summit featuring Parisian master Claudien Ainenl has been set for Montrèal, Canada.

The location of the Summit was originally randomly set for Columbus, Ohio, until the somewhat picky Ainenl requested a move to Tahiti because he has backers there. It was patiently explained to Ainenl that the Tahiti locale would be too logistically difficult to coordinate.

Still wanting to have the Summit in a city where he would have some of his backers at his side, Montrèal was agreed upon.

"Though normally we'd push for a site neutral to everybody," commented Ayeiy, "Ainenl...he's the sort of person where you need to fulfill requests like these, at least to a small extent. He's a dynamic person, and, like we have said before, he's going to want what he wants and be kind of stubborn about it."

Brianna Galen-Ames, slated to appear at the Summit, said Friday that she is "pretty certain" she will participate by webcam from her central Illinois home, still recovering from her broken ankle.

She suffered it when she was forced out of a Conference Room by an irate crowd Oct. 20, slipping and falling on a slippery freshly waxed floor.



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Avi is a Supporter of Eliminating HSC Position

-Marina del Rey, CA
-So who's one of the strongest supporters of doing away with the "de facto" head chef position of head sous chef? How about the person holding that position herself?

Lynn Avi has stated that "[she] support[s] getting rid of the Head Sous Chef Designation because its role has differed in recent years. It was originally meant to be more of a messenger role, a liaison role between the head chefs and the sous chefs." Avi added, though, "Since its role has changed, and it is more like that of, what, in my case will be, a fourth head chef, I don't see its necessities personally."

Not wanting to raise eyebrows, Avi assured the argument was based on personal strategic thoughts and feelings and not a desire to get herself bumped up to Head Chef. "That is not my intention," she said. She added, "I felt the same way a few years back before I even knew I would have this position." She also was quick to comment, though, that even though she supported getting rid of the HSC designation, "it [did] not mean that I do not feel honored to have it."

Said Event Analyst Gary Alton, "She's just trying to cover all her bases with the comments she makes. No problems with that. The way these things can get misinterpreted, that's what she should be doing."
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The Week in Feast Fest: Friday, October 28, 2011 - Thursday, November 3, 2011

Important Feast Fest dates this week:

Friday, 10/28 - Conference Friday: Conferences to address top Feast Fest headlines with Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt, Head Scouter Jim Dall, Executive Official Arthur Ayeiy, and others. Topic shall include: Brianna Galen-Ames, Claudien Ainenl, Telecommunication Problems with the FF Ticketing Hotline, the Upcoming Edelyn Exhibition, Expectations: 2014, Conference Crowd Control, and others.

Saturday, 10/29 - No unique activities scheduled.

Sunday, 10/30 - No unique activities scheduled.

Monday, 10/31 - A Feast Fest first - the first ever FF exhibition to be staged on Halloween will begin at 7 p.m. Eastern/4 p.m. Pacific at the Edelyn Cooking Arena in Punta Gorda, FL, and will be streamed online! Come see the final exhibition of the year before the real Feast Fest on Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, 11/1 - Scouters' Tuesday - The official Scouting Report for the 2011-2012 offseason will be released, presented, and analyzed by Head Scouter Jim Dall. (This event originally was meant to take place Oct. 26 as Scouters' Wednesday, but emergency meetings forced it to be rescheduled.)

Wednesday, 11/2 - Scouting Summit - Scouters will meet with Claudien Ainenl, Brianna Galen-Ames, and other chefs in an undecided location.

Thursday, 11/3 - The second and final day of the Scouting Summit.

Birthdays!
10/30 - Alga Ross (scouter)
11/2 - Jarólde Jámes (chef) & Alue Charlote Ste-Germaine Melling (chef)

Next WiFF - Friday, November 4, 2011 - Thursday, November 10, 2011



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Leaving Announcement Period Over

-Marina del Rey, CA
-Head Scouter of Feast Fest Jim Dall announced late Thursday that he would be officially closing the Leaving Announcement Period until December.

Although no chefs can leave Feast Fest for that year's event after the first Monday in October, some chefs had chosen to announce their plans to leave AFTER the 2011 event over the past couple weeks.

Now, no chefs can announce they will be leaving before Feast Fest XVIII until December 1, 2011.

"If leaving announcements for the following year carry too much into late October and November, it can have harmful effects on the mental, metaphysical, and internal balances of the chefs," explained Dall, citing November 2004, when Marc Monde made his decision to leave FF before Feast Fest 2005 two days before Thanksgiving, rocking his friend, FF chef D.A. Cook, and negatively impacting his Feast Fest performance.

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Galen-Ames to sit out summit directly

-Marina del Rey, CA
-Former FF chef Brianna Galen-Ames says she is "unsure" if she will be able to participate in talks at the Scouting summit November 2nd and 3rd due to her broken ankle.

Galen-Ames said she was likely to participate via phone or webcam.

Galen-Ames broke her leg when she was forced out of a conference room by an angry crowd Oct. 20, slipping on a wax floor.

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More Telecommunicational Troubles Saddle Ticketing

-Marina del Rey, CA
-Thursday brought another day of technical malfunctions at the Ticketing Office for Feast Fest, after a smooth Wednesday fooled workers into thinking the problems had passed.

The issues began Monday, when routine overnight maintenance wreaked havoc on the ticketing hotline, and worsened Tuesday when a combination of scheduled and emergency maintenance led to a phone wire mix-up, leading some calls to be transferred to an office of the NCA in New York.

Wednesday brought smooth interactions, but Thursday saw the issues returning. 24/7 maintenance is being performed and it is estimated that the hotline should return to normal service Friday.

The technical difficulties led a will call check not to be performed Thursday, the third day this week that a check has failed to be performed.

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Ainenl Wants to Move Scouter - Galen-Ames -Ainenl Summit

-Paris
-Claudien Ainenl, the Parisian master that is looking to get signed by FF for 2012, has requested to move the Nov. 2nd and 3rd summit between FF scouters, himself, and former chef Brianna Galen-Ames, who may re-join in 2012, to another location.

Ainenl wants to move the Columbus, Oh.-set summit to Tahiti, presumably because he has backers there.

Feast Fest Events, Inc., is set to talk him out of it, saying Tahiti would be a much more cumbersome location for everyone, himself included.

But, "Ainenl wants what he wants," said FF official Arthur Ayeiy. "If we want him as a part of our team, we must negotiate with him strategically and with all our smarts. Location may play a huge role with that." Ayeiy added, "holding the summit in Tahiti could either really help or really hurt our goals."

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At Last Minute, NCA Changes FF DigIn Time

-New York
-NCA officials in New York announced Thursday that they would be abruptly changing the DigIn time for Feast Fest 2011.

An official, Beryl Shady, was quick to announce that the official DigIn time had been changed from 7:02 p.m. to 7:03 p.m., which will give chefs an extra minute to prep in time for DigIn.

Shady said the change had been made for a "logistical reason," but said she was not authorized to release just what that reason was.

Shady said she herself was not made aware of the reason for the change, but said that "further word" on it should come on Friday, or, failing that, on Monday.

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Galen-Ames plays tag with press

-Chicago
-Mere hours after she jetted off to St. Barthelemy in the Caribbean, Brianna Galen-Ames was tracked down and fled back her to Central Illinois home, where she quickly hired a team of security and bodyguards, and locked herself in her expansive abode. The press crush wore off, but likely due to the lateness of the hour.

"The press were crushing, worse than before I left," said Galen-Ames to one reporter she authorized for a very short interview. "I should not have said on the note where I was going."

"I'll lock myself in two, three, four days if I have to, the press need to get the message that they must stop harassing me," she added. "Besides, a few days with just me and my family is exactly what I need at this point. I beg to the media to respect that. I'll come out publicly when I'm ready, which will be shortly."

Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt said he "[has] no direct control over the sit[uation]," but he added that "if Galen-Ames were contractual[ly] signed with Feast Fest, I would be at her aid immediately regarding this matter."

The news regarding Galen-Ames was released very late Wednesday.


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Galen-Ames Cuts Herself Off From Culinary World

-Chicago
-Former Feast Fest chef Brianna Galen-Ames just pulled an Ian Pertovsky.

Galen-Ames, embattled by her frustrating series of appearances at Meeting & Conference Week last week and the recent news that a scouter, Daved Leineken, tried to bribe and blackmail her over the summer, has now cut herself off from the culinary world.

Reporters rushed Galen-Ames' central Illinois home Wednesday, only to find a note, reading: "I've gone to St. Barthelemy," she wrote, referring to a Caribbean island. "Press, give privacy. Do not come."

The move smacks of similarity to the time when Ian Pertovsky become embroiled in scandals when Feast Fest tried to sign him in 2009. Fed up, he fled to the island of Crete in the Mediterranean, losing contact with the culinary world for three days.

Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt says "it's understandable, given what's gone on, that she would just want a little vacation that's private and to herself."

Vanderbilt said that nobody could know how long Galen-Ames would be gone.

Vanderbilt heavily urged reporters and FF scouters not to travel to St. Barthelemy to look for the 16-year-old culinary maven, but said that "it is unlikely that those commands will be followed."

Galen-Ames is recovering from a broken ankle she suffered Thursday when she stormed out of a Conference Hall after being heckled by the crowd and slipped on a freshly waxed floor.

Zaksen to Join

-Marina del Rey, CA
-The Feast Fest Scouting Department announced midday Wednesday that they have come to preliminary contractual agreements with Roy Zaksen, an American/World master from the Mackinac Grand Resort on Mackinac Island, MI.

Zaksen is expected to sign in December or January to join Feast Fest in 2012.

Meetings with Zaksen will resume after Feast Fest on November 24.

"Zaksen will make a wonderful addition to our Feast Fest family," stated Head Scouter Jim Dall.

Leineken Releases Statement

-Los Angeles
-A statement was released early Wednesday by Daved Leineken, the scouter fired for trying to bribe and blackmail former chef Brianna Galen-Ames to return in 2012.

In the statement, Leineken heavily defends his actions across seven densely printed pages, calling Brianna Galen-Ames "a chef of truly undeniable and immense talent and...one of vigor we have never seen before at Feast Fest."

Leineken did admit to the bribery and blackmail, but said in the letter that he should be hailed as a hero for the actions. "Should Galen-Ames re-sign, and Heaven Forbid she does not, my actions will have both saved this fantastical event from economic and [chef-scouter] relational disaster and elevated it to a brand new height, one neither seen nor even thought of or imagined before."

"It's just words," says Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt. "Just words without weight. We're not paying any attention to them. For this person to call himself a hero...it's disgusting. We don't want any scouter to justify their greed as a heroic action. That's simply heinous."

Brianna Galen-Ames had no comment to the statement Wednesday.

Vanderbilt assured, "I wouldn't think that someone like Brianna would agree with the statement, though. She's more humble than she's being made out to be."

Amidst the confusion regarding the Galen-Ames matter, Vanderbilt's approval rating among FF workers has fluctuated wildly, from 96% to 89% to 92% to 87% to 93% today.

Scouter Released, Re-signed

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Head Scouter Jim Dall said very late Tuesday that a member of the Scouting Department chose to resign, was released from his contract, and then re-signed a different contract ten minutes later.

Pete Chilphingham was "upset with the medical benefits" of his scouting job, and chose to resign Tuesday. He requested his employment with Feast Fest be terminated, gathered his things, exited the door, and drove off at approximately 5 p.m. Tuesday.

At 5:10, the car was back in the driveway. "I thought he had simply left something here by accident," says Melanie Pierce, the contract worker who terminated Chilphingham's employment.

Pierce claims Chilphingham re-entered the offices and asked for his job back, saying that panic had hit him in the car when he realized he didn't know where he would find reemployment.

Chilphingham was not overly lenient, though. He refused to accept his old contract, demanding one that had "better medical benefits."

Chilphingham had trouble negotiating and nearly left the building again, but he was finally given a contract he agreed to at 9 p.m. Tuesday.

Study Reveals FF Scouters Making Less

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-In an era where corruption among the Scouting Department has been sparse, its return may be blamed on lower incomes for Feast Fest scouters, a study revealed Tuesday.

Scouters are making $4-9,000 less than they did in 2009, and then they were making $2-5,000 less than in 2007.

"It is a result of the economic downturn," said a remorseful William Vanderbilt. "We try to keep the salaries consistent in order to avoid corruption."

Corruption occurs because scouters receive pay bonuses when they sign chefs, and the bigger-name chef they sign and the more money they get them to sign for, the bigger the bonus. This cycle explains the 2010 elevation of the maximum contract over from $1 million to $2 million and of the $1,500,000 offer given to Brianna Galen-Ames last week. And though this in and of itself is not corruption, scouters often resort to corrupt means to sign those big name chefs: a perfect example being the Brianna Galen-Ames/David Leineken scouting scandal that has dominated Feast Fest headlines over the past few days.

"We are not releasing actual salary figures for personal protection," explained Vanderbilt, "but it is a fact that, cumulatively, there have been salary decreases of $6-14,000 since 2007."

Some suggest that instead of raising the salaries to avoid corruption, a reformatory approach should be taken, perhaps one that eliminates bonuses for scouters altogether, but Vanderbilt said that such a move "could be a couple years away," stating that, "as would seem obvious, getting the scouters to agree to such a setup would be very difficult."

When asked if he supported eliminating bonuses as an anticorruption measure, Head Scouter Jim Dall was quick to say "I do not and will never support bonus elimination because bonuses make up so much of the general income and welfare of our scouters," saying, "scouters live on those bonuses the way a waiter lives on tips."

2012 "Getem!" List Released by Scouting Department

-Marina del Rey, CA
-The Feast Fest Scouting Department released their "Getem!" list for the 2011-12 offseason late Tuesday, a lost of the most coveted chefs that scouters will try to lure to Feast Fest in time for 2012. Despite all the hoopla surrounding Brianna Galen-Ames, because she is a former chef with the event, her name was not on the list.

The list had seven names. Scouters will pursue more chefs than this, of course, but the seven listed would be the biggest names of any chefs they pursue. The list consisted of Aviel Aydman, a European cooking master, Charles Dekvivyen, head chef of the top restaurant in New York City, Loernea Missey, a 17-year-old whiz from Albania, considered one of the best 21- chefs in the world, Stan Moulton, an All-American master from Philadelphia, Ninda Nyeland, current starring chef of the popular show "Cooking Under Pressure", Fernando Ontoñez, who could become the second chef from Mexico, and Victor Wallis, a World master who frequently stars on cooking shows.

The list seldom comes to pass, however: of 42 chefs on the list over the past six years, only 3 have been signed.

But, "we at the Scouting Department are taking on new strategies to lure in these big name chefs," said Head Scouter Jim Dall late Tuesday.

Maintenance

Maintenance will be scheduled for the Feast Fest ticketing hotline for Wednesday, October 26, 2011, from 9 am PDT/12 pm EDT to 2 pm PDT/5 pm EDT, after which normal service will resume.

We apologize for any inconveniences that this may cause.

Sjigrjodj's Mother's Surgery Moved Up

-Helsinki
-Surgery for an illness of the mother of Feast Fest chef Natanieli Sjigrjodj has been moved up from November 2nd to Thursday.

Sjigrjodj is planned to stay with his mother for her surgery and recovery period. It was feared that this may cause him to miss Feast Fest on November 24th.

"The rescheduling of my mother's surgery would make it more likely for me to be able to spend the time I need to with her and still make Feast Fest," Sjigrjodj said early Tuesday in an email from Helsinki.

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Willistyn Under Investigation

-Marina del Rey, CA
-Another Feast Fest scouter is under investigation in the bribery and blackmailing of former FF chef Brianna Galen-Ames in an attempt to get her to re-join in 2012.

Though Galen-Ames says that Scouter Daved Leineken was the only scouter who tried to bribe her, Stanley Willistyn has admitted to also making a visit to the Galen-Ames home for purposes of bribery.

However, Willistyn says that he was turned away at the door when he made the August 1st attempt by Galen-Ames's mother, Kitty.

Willistyn will also be placed under investigation.

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Pasik to Sit Out Edelyn Exhibition

-Boston
-Assistant Head Sous-Chef of Feast Fest, Joe Pasik, announced he will miss the final exhibition before Thanksgiving on October 31 at Edelyn Cooking Arena in Punta Gorda, Fla. due to "strong familial commitments."

Though it is common for several chefs to miss an exhibition for this reason, Pasik has been unusually constant: he has not missed an exhibition since March 2007.

Pasik blamed the scheduling mishap at Edelyn on the fact he would not be able to participate, saying, "If the date had stayed at November 8th, I would likely have been able to come."

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Leineken Further Clouds Galen-Ames Matters

-Chicago
-Matters involving Daved Leineken, the FF scouter fired after it was revealed he bribed former FF chef Brianna Galen-Ames to contemplate a 2012 return, he continued to cloud Galen-Ames's public image.

It was revealed late Monday that Leineken, in addition to bribing Galen-Ames in July, also sent her numerous e-mails in August offering her up to $3,000,000 if she would agree to star in her own Food Network show.

The matter is still under investigation.

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Lottery CLOSED!

If you entered the Monday, October 24 kitchen pass lottery, do a check of your email to see if you've won!

150 lucky winners will win a Feast Fest Kitchen Pass, and another 50 who DO NOT win a Kitchen Pass will win a complementary Dining Hall ticket & lodging package.

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Galen-Ames: "Leineken Did Not Further Encourage Me"

-Chicago
-Though Brianna Galen-Ames admitted very late Sunday to having received a bribe from FF scouter Daved Leineken in July 2011, Galen-Ames said that "Leineken's actions did not further encourage [Galen-Ames] from the way [she] already felt."

"I had been strongly considering pursuing re-joining Feast Fest in 2012 even before Leineken came to me."

Galen-Ames said she was "taken aback" when Leineken showed up at the door of her Central Illinois home on July 6, handed her a bag chock full of cash, and reportedly told her, "This is a bribe to get you to re-join Feast Fest in 2012. If you do not accept this bribe I will tell everyone that you tried to get me to bribe you."

Leineken was fired Saturday after the event was uncovered.

Galen-Ames told reporters, "I was very scared to report [the blackmail], and I am relieved to find out that Leineken has been fired."

The revelation comes on the heels of a week at Feast Fest that saw Galen-Ames booed heavily at conferences when it was announced that the formerly sixth-line-of-power chef could receive $1,500,000 per year and a Head Chef spot if she rejoins in 2012.

"We might have to think things over," said Head Scouter Jim Dall, "but Galen-Ames's integrity is pretty solid. I don't suspect anything fishy from her at the moment." He did add, however, that the incident "would not bode well in terms of getting people to accept the conditions of her return if it happens."

Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt's Approval Rating concerning the Galen-Ames matter jumped from 36% to 61% when the incident was uncovered late Saturday. His overall approval rating among FF chefs and other employees is 89%. It was 96%, but dipped sharply this past week when he sided with Brianna Galen-Ames, who, given the conditions, most of the Feast Fest chefs are against.

To Be Discussed Monday: Avoiding Another 2003

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Rumors are fluttering over the news announcements Sunday that meetings would be conducted this week with Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt and his advisers over a possible switch in turkey brand providers.

Butterball and Feast Fest have gone hand in hand for all but one year: 2003. That year, when the two sides failed to reach an agreement, FF appealed to Foster Farms, which provided birds that were drier than chapped skin on a hot sidewalk on Venus. The turkeys garnered an 82.8 mark in '03 and subsequently led to an overall rating of only ten points higher, at 92.8.

In the '03-'04 offseason, the FF and Butterball were quick to sign a contract, and did so successfully. Now, that contract has an expiration date: of December 31, 2011.

Now, Feast Fest officials must choose between having laborious talks with Butterball or easily signing up with several other companies that have expressed interest but risking a repeat of the 2003 scoresheet disaster in 2012. "That is our number one avoidance," said William Vanderbilt.

One issue in '03 with Foster Farms was that the turkeys failed to be tested. "We would meticulously test and check hundreds of products for a certain brand if we do not regroup with Butterball. We will refuse to sign with a different company and not know what we are going into."

Butterball and FF have had strained relations over the past few years. The contract ending date was originally set for the end of 2009, but it was dreadingly bumped back to the end of 2011 as early as 2006.

Butterball would no doubt love to keep their ties to FF, but "some of the monetary and contractual agreements are having difficulty being worked out."

So we must give a ruptured sigh at the sight of yet another business disagreement that will likely make all the headlines in the coming days. Money and contracts seems to be all we're hearing from these guys, lately, huh?

Did you know October is the Unofficial Official Feast Fest Events, Inc. "Meetings, Meetings, Meetings" Month?

Good things we're nearing the end of it!

Galen-Ames, Ainenl, FF Scouters Plan Summit

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Feast Fest's Scouting Department announced Sunday that a summit would be planned between scouters, Brianna Galen-Ames, and Claudien Ainenl.

Galen-Ames is a former FF chef who is contemplating re-joining Feast Fest in 2012, and Ainenl is a French master considering joining in 2012.

The summit will be held Nov. 2-3 in Columbus, Oh.

Reasoning Explained for Edelyn Exhibition Move

-Marina del Rey, CA
-"Thanksgiving, meet Halloween."

That's what Feast Fest Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt joked to laughs early Sunday, confirming about 12 hours of rumors that the final FF exhibition of the season at Edelyn Cooking Arena in Punta Gorda, FL, would be moved from Tuesday, November 8 to Monday, October 31.

Vanderbilt said that a nearby office building would be undergoing "heavy construction" that would begin October 24 and require usage of the Edelyn parking lot and the Edelyn kitchen floor to house over a thousand construction workers. The project will end November 15 and the only weekday that the project will not take place is October 31. The project will take place Saturday, October 29, and not Sunday, October 30, but Vanderbilt explained why the Oct. 30 date would not work.

"They [officials at Edelyn] will need at least a day to convert the cooking arena from its hostel-like state to its normal cooking state, so that eliminated the possibility of the Oct. 30 date being used. They offered up a Nov. 17 date also, but this will not work because it is too close to Thanksgiving and all the exhibitions need to be over and all the chefs here in the Marina by that time."

So Halloween it must be.

"We know this throws a monkey wrench into the personal agendas of all the chefs, and we apologize to them for that," said Vanderbilt. "But I'm afraid it's our only option."

Some chefs said they would consider bringing their children to the exhibition, not wanting to not be with them on the holiday.

Final FF Exhibition (Edelyn Cooking Arena, Punta Gorda, FL) Moved

-Marina del Rey, CA; also reports from Punta Gorda, FL
-We interrupt your wee hours of Sunday morning to bring you this new development:

Thanksgiving Dinner, meet Halloween candy.

It has been confirmed after several hours of swirling rumors that the Feast Fest exhibition at Edelyn Cooking Arena in Punta Gorda, FL, the final of the season, scheduled for Tuesday, November 8 at 7p Eastern/4p Pacific, has been MOVED, to the same time of day on Monday, October 31st... Halloween.

This will mark the first time ever that an FF exhibition has been staged on Halloween.

Jim McAllister was awoken early Sunday morning to be told of the news. "So, Halloween, eh? Masks and turkey. Candy and NCA critics. Ghouls, witches, and vampires along with pumpkin pie and cranberries. That'll be interesting!"

The official reasoning for the date move is currently uncertain; all that is known is that the managers of Edelyn Cooking Arena contacted Feast Fest late Saturday about a "logistical and mechanical emergency", saying that the Nov. 8 had to be canceled and that two dates were available for relocation of the exhibition: Oct. 31 and Nov. 17.

It is speculated that the Oct. 31 date was picked because Nov. 17 was considered too close to Feast Fest.

William Vanderbilt is expected to speak about the issue to reporters later today.

Scouter Fired

-Los Angeles
-Feast Fest Events, Inc. has hired a scouter who worked in the Scouting Department for eleven years, said Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt very late on Saturday.

Daved Leineken was fired Saturday afternoon after it was revealed that he bribed Brianna Galen-Ames with $1 million to simply "consider" re-signing with Feast Fest.

"This will reopen the whole matter of Galen-Ames, which we thought had been closed by now for the most part, and we will be forced to ask ourselves if she really wished to contemplate a return or if it was the money that prodded her on," said Vanderbilt.

Leineken's bribe becomes the first reported case of Feast Fest Scouting Department corruption since 2006.

"This has not happened in five years, and we will have to investigate heavily its roots," Vanderbilt said.

Galen-Ames could not be reached for comment.

Ainenl is in Good with Scouters, Sources Say

-Marina del Rey, CA
-Feast Fest Meeting & Conference Week from Monday through Friday allowed Claudien Magnifique Ainenl to work up a potential deal with Feast Fest scouters for the 2012 event.

The Paris-based Ainenl, recognized as a top French chef, has been courted by Feast Fest as far back as 1997, but the logistics never worked out to include the 40-year-old master of cookery in the event. In turn, Ainenl was always fascinated with the holiday of Thanksgiving and with Feast Fest, but was seen as a perpetually picky chef who made several demands that could not be met. For one, he would demand that he be able to show up in California on the very eve of the event and that he be able to fly back to Paris immediately following the Official Score Announcement.

"He was very involved and dedicated to his Parisian restaurant and never wanted to leave it for more than 24 hours," says Managerial Assistant Arthur Ayeiy. "He was frequently told that the logistics would be too difficult to work out and that such a rigorous, jetlaggish schedule would wreak havoc on his internal systems, diminishing his performance. At the same time, he never wanted to be present for any exhibitions. And he cooked French so often we feared that if he didn't come to an exhibition once in a while to break those habits with the Americana styles used at Thanksgiving, he would have a sort of gastronomical all-systems-failure out on the floor."

In 2009, Ainenl hired an assistant head chef for his restaurant, General & Classical, and purchased a villa in Southern California in the hopes that these moves would take care of some of the "logistical" problems.

FF scouters were always interested in Ainenl, and agreed that from a logistical standpoint his chances looked much healthier, but over the past two offseasons contractual and monetary disagreements popped up.

But over the course of last week, Ainenl met repeatedly with Jim Dall, head of the FF Scouting Department, who devised a personalized plan that would fit the needs of both sides. Now all that is needed for the plan to be set in motion is for the next offseason to begin and for a price tag to be set down.

"He's much easier to work with now," comments Ayeiy. "We feel very optimistic about adding him to the Feast Fest Team in 2012.

Ainenl announced Friday that he would be able to attend "probably at least four exhibtitions per year," and received a "yes" reply when he asked if that amount would be enough.

Ainenl "could be signed as early as December," Ayeiy forecasted. "Look for Ainenl to become the chef that's heavily pursued and discussed in the early months of the offseason, over the winter," Ayeiy told Feast Fest buffs. "He could pop up in talks as early as the Feast Fest Post-Feast Meeting on the very Monday after Thanksgiving."

Maintenance

To be performed on the Ticketing Hotline Monday from 6 am to 8 am PDT.

Avi is NCA's "Most Beautiful" for fifth year in a row

-New York, NY
-Lynn Avi has for the fifth consecutive year won one of the few NCA awards not based on culinary talent, the NCA's "Most Beautiful" Award.

NCA Award Moderator Michele St. Croix made the announcement late Saturday.

Avi is more than just a pretty face, however; she won the Most Determined Chef Award in 2007 and 2009, the Most Fiery (with a Pan) Chef Award in 2008 (her Feast Fest colleague Lisa Choi has won that award every year but 2008 since 2003), the Speediest Chef Award in 2010, and the Most Dedicated Chef Award in 2007 and most recently on Oct. 1.

Various NCA Awards for the year of 2011 are being released from Oct. 1 to Nov. 10. Avi has already racked up two this year.

Avi swept away the competition in the Most Beautiful category, earning 95.26% of the vote.

It's a Big Reception for Monde

-Marina del Rey, CA
-Saturday saw the Official Initiation & Celebration for the six new chefs at Feast Fest this year, and though all were welcomed warmly, the clear favorite among chefs, staff, and scouters was Aleck Monde, the son of former FF fixture Marc Monde.

Monde was one of the "Original 7" chefs in 1995 and was a Feast Fest star in his years from 1995 to 2004, Monde's was a brand of overly popular Americana cooking with a little of his French-Canadian heritage sprinkled in.

Monde left the event after 2004 to care for his cancer-stricken wife, but he passed his love of cooking and the culinary events onto his son, Aleck. Aleck Monde, 21, was singled out for an FF contract this past September, and he signed unhesitatingly. He began headcheffing his father's Ottawa restaurant, L'Ancetre, in 2010, and Marc Monde, now 48, has moved up to a managerial position with the NCA. His post is in his hometown of Ottawa where he is caring for his wife who is successfully fighting off breast cancer. The Monde family hope to launch a Breast Cancer Awareness theme at Feast Fest sometime in the near future.

Aleck Monde was a gem on the potential-chef scene for Feast Fest scouters beginning in 2010, and though Monde stated he would be "ecstatic" to join, the two sides were incapable of reaching a deal. On September 30, however, the last day of the Scouting Period, he signed a three-year, $489,261/year contract with FF, making him the last of this offseason's six chefs to be signed.

Monde is expected to bring a style to the Feast Fest floor that is similar to his father's. Monde received a standing ovation when announced at the Initiation and Celebration Ceremony Saturday afternoon. Monde took the Feast Fest Oath and broke the Ceremonial Turkey Wishbone, initiating him as an official Feast Fest chef.

Monde is still "finding his feet," he claims. Travel difficulties and previous commitments have meant that he hasn't had the chance to take an exhibitional floor yet, but he plans to join in for the November 8 exhibition, the final one before Thanksgiving, at Edelyn Cooking Arena in Punta Gorda, Fla.

Monde, though a new face on the scene, is familiar to Feast Fest chefs through his father's time at the event. He met such fixtures as Jim McAllister and Alexei Aiber in 2002 at age 12, and in 2006 met the Mason Duo, Lynn Avi, Lindbergh Merrssff, and the Stephan brothers.

"We should all get along very well," commented an optimistic Aiber.

Monde will take a position on the fourth line of power, just below the most prominent FF chefs. His NCA rating as of April 21, 2011 is 92.5 (his father Marc's peaked at 94.1 in 2002).

However, there were five others who went through the initiation ceremonies Saturday who also deserve to be given attention. Peter Cook (cousin of former FF chef D.A. Cook), Alicia Mendelcroft, Jamey MacO'Shea, Jarólde Jámes (featured in this week's Chef Profile on Friday), and Danyela Harris all officially became Feast Fest chefs Saturday.

Jámes signed a two-year, $400,516/year contract on December 23, 2010.
Cook signed a one-year, $421,357 contract on January 31.
Mendelcroft signed a four-year, $214,017/year contract on March 2.
MacO'Shea signed a two-year, $399,545/year contract on March 23.
Harris signed a seven-year, $223,251/year contract on August 25.

All of the six new chefs aside from Aleck Monde have participated in at least one exhibition thus far. Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt commented that all have been "received wonderfully."

Expert's Editorial: Thoughts on Meeting & Conference Week

-Expert Commentator Mike Vilshire
-from Marina del Rey, Ca.

-It is now 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 22 on Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean. The East Coast, Europe, Africa, and Asia have all entered Saturday, with only the West Coast, Alaska, Hawaii, and Enitewok still on Friday.

So it seems pretty safe to say that we're pretty much out of the woods when it comes to Harold Camping's doomsday prediction for Friday.

But the day and the week leading up to it was so hectic that from a Feast Fest standpoint, you might actually have believed the earth was ripping apart at the seams.

Exhibitions were staged, water mains broke, exhibitions were delayed, exhibitions were restarted, water mains broke again, exhibitions were delayed, exhibitions were restarted, exhibitions scored lowly, Brianna Galen-Ames announced a possible return, a conference was held, Galen-Ames, Dall, and Pertovsky were booed and heckled, another conference was held, Galen-Ames was booed again, a meeting was held, they'll try to make the Head Chef table fit five in a couple years, another conference was held, Galen-Ames was booed, Galen-Ames stormed out, Galen-Ames broke her ankle, Galen-Ames returned home, Mei Okoworth left, European expansion was announced, Lynn Avi gave up her 2014 LaLa exhibition, Zurich was listed as the most likely Euro-expansion city, the Kitchen Pass lottery was staged, the Ticketline went down for maintenance--twice, and Vanderbilt won the Managerial Award.

So, given all that...I'd say Mr. Camping can take some solace in the fact that if he referred to the world of Feast Fest, yes, well, that world nearly did come crashing down this week.

Meeting & Conference Week is always busy, tiring, and full of headlines, but much more so than usual this time around. By Friday, most of the Galen-Ames drama had quieted, but the final day of M&C Week flurried with intense meetings, gavelbanger debates, and rapidfire conferences that left nearly everybody with a headache.

How 'bout we eat at Thank Goodness it's Saturday instead?

Galen-Ames dominated the news of Feast Fest Tuesday through Thursday, but other little things kept popping up, the biggest of the little being the announcement of the potential plans for making the Head Chefs' Table a five- or six-chef station in the near future. The Mason duo nodded at each other, remembering the days of 2004 and 2005 when there was just as much controversy over having two head chefs, let alone six. And the 2010 addition of Jim McAllister to the Head Chefs' table, to take effect in November, required nearly as much logistical and contractual dentistry. Yes, the apostrophe move to the right from Head Chef's Table to Head Chefs' Table was successful, but now that several years have passed under that designation, FF leaders seem to think that the title is a limitless one. If they're gonna have six up there, they might as well rename it "The Head Chefssssss' Table." Or how 'bout, since it would contain all six chefs who are known to even the most clueless FF viewers (apart from those on the lower tiers of power and with lower NCA ratings), "The We're Better Than You And There's Not A Thing You Can Do About It Table"?

Now, please understand it is not remotely my intention to disparage the wonderful toptier cooks in the Mason duo, Jim McAllister, Lynn Avi, Joe Pasik, Jan Stephan, Lisa Choi, and others. (Speaking of which, why haven't the flare-ish talents of Choi been thrown into the six-member Head Chef Panel discussion?) They are some of the best chefs in America, perhaps even the world, or at least some of the best outside Paris, France. It is just that there is a reason that the setup is the way it is. I can see and accept having Jim McAllister as a Head Chef; heck, I could even lobby for the elimination of the designation of Head Sous-Chef, seeing as whoever holds that position is/was/will be a de facto second (from 1995 to 2004), third (from 2005 to 2010), or fourth (beginning in 2011!) head chef. But to rid the event of the other upper echelons seems to me purely discriminatory--segregational, even. It says to the crowd, "These six chefs are important. These others aren't." Which is not true at all; though some chefs have more power than others and take on different tasks than others, when the DigIn bell rings at 7:02 p.m. on November 24, 2011, it will be--mark this--all 61 chefs who have, in their own proportion, equal to that of all the others, contributed to the meal that ends up on the plates of the some 1,500 Dining Hall attendees and some 2,750 Beachview Resort Room Service orderers.

Now, attention must be turned to the matter of Brianna Galen-Ames. Scarcely has there been a three-day period where one Feast Fest entity, certainly not a chef, has been reviled so much and for so long. But mark it down in the recordbooks, friends, from her naive speech Tuesday to her post-conference broken ankle Thursday, Brianna Galen-Ames was etching her name as the first ever Public Enemy #1 of Feast Fest to be a chef. Granted, a former chef, who will not be participating this year. But she participated in FF 2010, and will probably rejoin the event for FF 2012. Boos echoed long, loud, and hard from small crowd at Conferences, and they were also tossed at any of her supporters or anyone who even spoke her name. Jim Dall, Head Scouter, likely would have been booed anyway (put it in perspective: the Head Scouter to a chef is like a publishing company editor to a writer or like the Continental Congress to Thomas Jefferson when they were revising the Declaration of Independence), but his undying support for Galen-Ames (he doesn't really care about her, of course, he just wants the money she'll bring) further alienated him from the crowd.

However, the popular reactions to Galen-Ames led the Scouting Department to take a "mess-with-the-bull-get-the-horns" approach, and Jim Dall was fiery at a Conference Thursday, instead of meek like he had been on Tuesday. He yelled, "You need to understand how vital the re-addition of this chef is to this event. You'll regret your actions later, because this chef will bring more money and more wealth to this event, which will in turn bring much more to you in your contract deals, which means everything in an economic climate such as this. So, for the welfare of all of you, I believe that you all need to stop insulting this maven and begin thanking her for the way she will enhance the quality of your lives." English translation: "We like her because we're greedy. We don't like you because you're not greedy and subsequently you don't like us or her so subsequently we don't like you. Now sit down and shut your pieholes."

Dall's words could not sway the crowds, however, simply adding fuel to the fire.

Another question to be asked is of William Vanderbilt, who, despite normally being a great activist for the chefs, seems to have sided with Dall on this one. His show of support for Galen-Ames and Dall, and his failure to respond to the concerns of other chefs, has led to a steep decline in his popularity this week. It was not enough to see him lose the Managerial Award, but get this--just because of how he acted in this week's brouhaha, a couple chefs booed when they found out that their great leader, the one who has risen this event to its ultimate heights, the one who has made them millionaires, the one who has made this the greatest and largest culinary event in the world, had won the Managerial Award.

So maybe the immaturity of Galen-Ames and Dall is a creeping virus, now beginning to infect everyone involved at Feast Fest.

In a microcosmical sense, perhaps poor old Harry Camping was right.

Merrssff to Move to Higher Position

-Marina del Rey, CA
-It was revealed late Friday that Lindbergh Merrssff, legendary Feast Fest chef from its 1995 origins until 2008 and current Head of the Feast Fest NCA Inspection Department, has received an offer to move up to a higher position beginning in 2012.

Merrssff could become one of three advisers to Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt. One of these advisers, John Johnby, will be retiring after the 2011 event.

Merrssff said he would "consider" the offer. He told reporters, "I would be more than happy to move up to this position, but it requires more strength than my current and I would need to evaluate whether or not I would have the energy for it," said the 75-year-old Merrssff.

Vanderbilt hand-picked Merrssff as a candidate to fill the soon-vacant slot. "Lindy gets how everything works around here, he's very wise from both culinary and business standpoints; you can't pull a fast one on him, and that's exactly the type of adviser I need." He added, "I'd be excited to have the two of us working side by side."

Vanderbilt wins Managerial Award

-New York
-William Vanderbilt has been chosen as the 2011 Honoree of the National Culinary Association's Managerial Award, which is an award for the manager of a restaurant, culinary school, culinary company, or culinary event.

The news broke very late Friday, and Vanderbilt could not be reached for comment, but his assistant Arthur Ayeiy said he would be "ecstatic," noting that he was "tickled pink" when he found out he had been nominated.

Vanderbilt will receive the award at an NCA Awards ceremony on December 15, which will also see Chefs Peter Dumas, Lynn Avi, and Jim McAllister picking up awards.

Vanderbilt was nominated for this award in 2005 and 2008 but did not win.

Sjigrjodj May Back Out

-Marina del Rey, CA
-At a meeting late Friday, Natanieli Sisen-Icini Sjigrjodj, a unique Italian-Scandinavian addition to Feast Fest in June, announced that he may back out of the 2011 Feast Fest before he even takes the floor.

Sjigrjodj cited "familial crises" involving an ailing mother that may require him to return to Florence, Italy, for "give or take a few weeks" beginning Monday. This, he said, may make him miss Feast Fest. "I am looking forward to participating in this great event, make no mistake," commented Sjigrjodj. "I'm just not sure if I will be able to this year. This news about my mother is fairly abrupt."

FF would be forced to impose a pay cut on Sjigrjodj if he fails to appear on the Big Day. "I would accept to this," he said.

Sjigrjodj's contract is two-year, meaning he is also planned to participate in FF 2012. If he had signed on for one year, his failure to appear would likely lead FF scouters not to re-sign him, but he was reassured that his planned appearance in 2012 "cannot be taken away from [him] even if you miss Feast Fest this year," as explained by Head Scouter Jim Dall.

William Vanderbilt, Event Manager, told Sjigrjodj that "the Feast Fest family hopes [Sjigrjodj's] mother recovers from her ailment and that [Sjigrjodj] will be able to participate on Thanksgiving."

Sjigrjodj's mother is planned to undergo surgery November 2nd and should be discharged from a hospital on November 16th. "If nothing is delayed, my mother should be able to get treatment for her illness with me at her side and I should still be able to return to California in time for Feast Fest."

Galen-Ames home

-Chicago, IL

-Brianna Galen-Ames has successfully returned home to her native Illinois after a rocky week at Feast Fest.

She reportedly was "comfortable" during the three and a half hour L.A.-Chicago flight after her injury Thursday.

She broke her ankle when she stormed out of a Conference Hall in anger and slipped on a wax floor. She did so because she had been aggravated by the crowd, who booed her off the stage in anger.

Galen-Ames is "unsure" whether she will spectate Feast Fest in November. "The atmosphere may just not be right this year for it," she said to press at O'Hare Airport in Chicago late Friday.

Lottery CLOSED

It is after 6 pm Pacific/9 pm Eastern on Friday, October 21, 2011, meaning that the final Kitchen Pass lottery is now CLOSED. The results will be posted at 6 pm Pacific/9 pm Eastern on Monday, October 24, 2011.

Have a great weekend!

Correction

A Friday chef profile about Feast Fest's first ever chef of Mexican origin incorrectly referred to him as Jerólde Jámes; the correct name is Jarólde Jámes. In addition, the correct pronunciation of the name is not hair AWL day HAH mess, it would instead be hahr AWL day HAH mess.

Avi will give up LaLa slot for potential European expansion

-Marina del Rey, CA
-Feast Fest chef Lynn Avi announced midday Friday at a meeting that she would be willing to relinquish her contractually sealed FF exhibition at her New York restaurant, LaLa, in order to provide an open spot for European expansion for at least one year.

"I would be fine having LaLa not host its annual exhibition in 2014 if this would help Feast Fest better meet its goals of expansion," said a cheery and cooperative Avi Friday afternoon.

"This is very kind of Avi," commented Jack Reyivai, an advisor to Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt.

At the meeting, Zurich was listed as the most likely European expansion city, followed by Paris.

Chef Profile: New in 2011, Jerólde Jámes aims to increase Latin influences at Feast Fest

-Morro Bay, CA
-It's a cloudy Sunday afternoon at Windows on the Water in Morro Bay. FF chefs have been delayed almost a day in this exhibition due to a water main break, and most of the chefs at this point are pretty cranky.

However, the signature smile of Jerólde Jámes remains; he's happy just to be here in the first place. Jerólde Jámes (hair AWL day HAH mess) knows his newfound place here at Feast Fest, and he's planning to become one of the first ever chefs to fearlessly incorporate classic Spanish cuisine influences into Thanksgiving dinner.

Jámes cannot be called the first chef to have mastered Latin cuisine; many American chefs in FF have studied the vibrant gastronomic traditions of Spain, Mexico, and Latin America. Peter Dumas was raised in Latin hotbed Miami and has significant Spanish heritage on his mother's side.

What sets Jámes apart, however, is his distinction as the first ever chef to come straight from Mexico. Though officially an American citizen--he was born in 1983 in New York City--he spent most of his childhood in Monterrey.

"The culinary culture there was as vibrant as ever," says Jámes. "It's where most of my cooking influence comes from." A 2009 graduate of Cordon Bleu Schools Los Angeles, Latin cuisine was his undoubted forte.

His journey to Feast Fest began in 2010 during a "horizon-expanding" effort. "We had chefs representing nearly every type of cuisine in the world, but for the increasingly critical Hispanic patronage, we had next to nothing in terms of culinary expertise in that category," says Arthur Ayeiy, an advisor to Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt.

"So we looked to Mexico." What they found there was a land full of delicious foods, but what they needed was a chef who could incorporate Latin styles into the Thanksgiving meal perfectly without clouding its all-American air. "We've been able to achieve this with other international chefs," says Ayeiy. "We have had the ability to make the Feast Fest meal distinctly American while at the same time adding flavors from all around the world: Chinese, Japanese, French, Creole, Russian."

Jámes had known of Feast Fest since 2003, but thought little of joining until it embarked on its "flavor-expansion journey" from 2004 to 2009, which added such chefs as Lisa Choi, Jacqueline Pierce, the (Russian) Jones brothers, and Guilliame Jacquetaine to Feast Fest.

"I had already been deeply interested in the American holiday of Thanksgiving, what it meant and what it stood for." By 2007, Jámes was headcheffing La Comer Poco, a four-star in Puerto Vallarta. When FF swung through in 2010 on its attempt to add a Mexican chef, Jámes's interest was piqued; so were the scouters'.

"He added such vim and vigor to the kitchen atmosphere, we knew he would be a perfect fit," says Head Scouter Jim Dall.

In December 2010, Jerólde Jámes signed with Feast Fest. Already, he's had a positive impact on the floor at exhibitions.

"He moves so flawlessly on the floor, so quickly and fluidly," says Lynn Avi. "He has the best personality, always smiling, and those little Mexican gustatory touches of his really add a kick to the food. He's all in all a great addition to the team."

Jámes has an NCA rating of 83.1, meaning he'll sit only on the sixth line of power, but he doesn't mind. He's just happy he can finally share his culinary talents with the world on such a large and prominent stage.

"We'll get 100 this year," Jámes, one of the most optimistic chefs, exclaims. "We can't not get 100 this year. It's in the air," he continues, beaming.

And with the Rand McNally World Map of Feast Fest finally complete thanks to the rigors of Jerólde Jámes, he may must be right.

Maintenance Over

Today's maintenance work on the FF ticketing hotline has finished and is now servicing again. We thank you for your patience.

DON'T WASTE TIME! TODAY'S THE FINAL DAY TO ENTER THE KITCHEN PASS LOTTERY!

Today is the FINAL DAY to enter the KITCHEN PASS LOTTERY SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 24. Don't waste time! You have until 6 PM PACIFIC/9 PM EASTERN to enter!

150 kitchen passes will be awarded.

The results will be released 6 p.m. Pacific/9 p.m. Eastern on Monday, October 24, 2011.

Future Global Expansion of Exhibitions to be Discussed

-Marina del Rey, CA
-We are continuing to learn more about the slated agenda for the closing day of Feast Fest Meeting & Conference Week when it opens up later on this morning.

Arthur Ayeiy, an assistant to FF Manager William Vanderbilt, revealed that one subject that will be discussed is possible further global expansion of Feast Fest exhibitions.

FF made history in October 2010 when it held the first ever exhibition in a foreign country when it did so at Kitchen Stadium in Tokyo. Exhibitions in Tokyo were again successfully forged in April 2011 and one is slated for January 2012. Tokyo has earned its permanent slot as the one non-U.S. site on the exhibition schedule.

FF will begin a new eight-exhibition offseason schedule in 2012, but this setup will remain through at least 2016. This means that expansion would have to take away the exhibition of an FF exhibition stronghold. In 2011 and 2012, Edelyn Cooking Arena has hosted/will host two exhibitions; if one was taken away it would open up an expansion slot. But Edelyn's officials are rough-and-tumble; FF couldn't even introduce a new venue (Nø, Joe Pasik's restaurant in Boston, Massachusetts) for 2012 under the soon-obsolete seven exhibition setup. Edelyn wanted both its exhibitions, meaning that to add a new venue they had to add a new exhibition--something Vandy and the powers that be don't want to do for at least another five years.

Another question to be answered is where the exhibition would be located. Europe is a certainty--if the logistics can be worked out, FF has arrangements with restaurants and cooking arenas worked out in Paris and Zurich, and is working on those arrangements for London, Barcelona, Rome, and Thessalonki, Greece.

However, the 2012 exhibition schedule is already made out. And, though it will not be officially released until October 17, 2012, the framework of the 2013 exhibitional season is already in place; it just needs to be fleshed out a bit.

So FF will likely be setting its second international foot down in the great and culinarily diverse continent of Europe, but Europeans may have up to a three year wait to see Feast Fest chefs in action.

Vanderbilt on Mei Okoworth

-Marina del Rey, CA
-William Vanderbilt released this statement regarding Mei Okoworth in the wee hours Friday morning after Okoworth's announcement that he would be leaving Feast Fest after this year's event:

"Feast Fest will be without one of its most eclectic chefs in 2012. The mixed Asian-Spanish-American influences of Mei Okoworth will be available to us for only one more Thanksgiving, I am sorrowed to report, after he confided to me his intentions to leave the event in 2012 for personal reasons.' Though his wonderful brother Ai Okoworth will not be leaving, both have unique styles that are distinct from one another despite their familial ties. Mei's culinary talents will be missed, and we hope he enjoys his final Feast Fest campaign and we will wish him luck in the future."

M. Okoworth Leaving

-Marina del Rey, CA
-Mei Okoworth, a Feast Fest chef and brother of fellow FF chef Ai Okoworth, announced late Thursday he would be leaving Feast Fest after the 2011 installment of the event. Details as to the reason are not known and will be discussed at conferences Friday. He stated that his brother Ai is not planning to leave Feast Fest.

The Week in Feast Fest: Friday, October 21, 2011 - Thursday, October 27, 2011

Important Feast Fest dates this week:

Friday, 10/21 - The final day of Feast Fest Fall Meeting & Conference Week, more Conferences featuring Vanderbilt, Jim Dall, chefs, and other personalities.

Saturday, 10/22 - Feast Fest Initiation and Celebration Ceremony for New-in-2011 Chefs in Marina del Rey, Ca.

Sunday, 10/23 - Fall Leaving Day: Chefs, managers, personnel leave the Beachview Resort and will not return to it until a week or so before Thanksgiving. Autographs, photo taking, when permissible by the chef, is allowed.

Monday, 10/24 - Kitchen Retrofitting Day: The beginning of the two week transformation process of the Dining Hall kitchen from normal status to Feast Fest status. Kitchen Pass Lottery Day! - 150 passes up for grabs!

Tuesday, 10/25 - No unique activities scheduled.

Wednesday, 10/26 - Scouters' Wednesday - The official Scouting Report for the 2010-2011 offseason is released.

Thursday, 10/27 - Managerial Thursday - The official Managerial Report for the 2010-2011 offseason is released.


Birthdays!
10/22 - Ai Okoworth
10/25 - Lindbergh Merrssff (fmr. chef)
10/26 - Gulliaume Jacquetaine, Hillary Wilkin

Next WiFF - Friday, October 28, 2011 - Thursday, November 3, 2011

More Maintenance

The FF ticketing hotline will again be undergoing maintenance from 6 am PDT/9 am EDT to 11 am PDT/2 pm EDT on Friday, October 21, 2011. We apologize for any inconvenience this may create.

Crowd Blamed For Galen-Ames ER Visit

-Marina del Rey, CA
-The crowd at a Feast Fest conference Thursday morning is being blamed for the hospitalization of Brianna Galen-Ames after she broke her ankle.

Galen-Ames suffered a broken ankle early Thursday after being booed off the stage at a Feast Fest conference.

On Tuesday, Galen-Ames spoke for about four minutes but had expected remarks of fifteen to twenty minutes. Because the crowd at Tuesday's conference was so harsh, Galen-Ames was ushered off the stage for safety.

She was scheduled to speak again on the matter of her possible return to Feast Fest in 2012 at a Conference on Thursday. However, despite additional security, the crowd was just as raucous and Galen-Ames again had to be removed from the stage. She then broke her ankle after she stormed out of the Conference hall in anger and slipped on a waxed floor. Galen-Ames was taken to Centinela Hospital, where she was X-rayed, given a cast, and sent back to the Beachview Resort. She was planning to leave the L.A. area Friday to return to her rural central Illinois home.

The teenaged culinary maven had no direct comments to reporters when she returned to the Beachview Resort from the hospital, where she had spent about four hours getting X-rays and a cast. She said she would not speak on the matter and that she simply wanted to go up to her hotel room to recuperate and rest for her flight back to Illinois tomorrow.

FF Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt said in a prepared comment, "The Feast Fest Family is deeply regretful to hear of the injury this morning to Brianna Galen-Ames. If the crowd at the Conference had been quieter and polite, she would not have stormed out of the hall and suffered this affliction. We wish Brianna well and hope that this stunning chef will be able to successfully recuperate from her broken bone at her home in Illinois. We also hope that when she is all well again that we at Feast Fest can come to an agreement that satisfies everybody and re-add this culinary prodigy back to our Feast Fest team for 2012."

Vanderbilt had no further comment.

RELEASED--The 2012 Exhibition Schedule

-Marina del Rey, CA
-FF officials officially released the 2012 schedule of Feast Fest offseason exhibitions Wednesday. 2012 will see eight exhibitions, up from seven in 2011 and six in 2010, but officials say that eight will probably remain the standard number for at least four or five years beginning in 2012.

The schedule:
Saturday, January 14 @ Kitchen Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
Sunday, January 22 @ U.S. Kitchen Stadium, New York, NY
Sunday, March 25 @ Lala Restaurant, New York, NY
Friday, May 4 @ Edelyn Cooking Arena, Punta Gorda, FL
Sunday, July 1 @ No Restaurant, Boston, MA
Saturday, September 29 @ Windows on the Water Restaurant, Morro Bay, CA
Sunday, October 28 @ Edelyn Cooking Arena, Punta Gorda, FL
Sunday, November 4 @ Notes Restaurant, Long Beach, CA

Joe Pasik will join the list of FF chefs who have their own restaurants used for exhibitions when No in Boston hosts an exhibition. The two other chefs in this group are Lynn Avi (of Lala in New York) and Jim McAllister (of Notes in Long Beach, CA). "It took a lot of time and effort to get the kitchen at No adapted to host a Feast Fest exhibition, but it was well worth it, and I will be more than glad to welcome Feast Fest to Boston next summer," commented Pasik, elated Wednesday upon learning that No had been chosen to host the July 1st Feast Fest exhibition. It will be the first ever FF exhibition in New England.

2011 Miniconcert & Sports Schedules

In 2010, Feast Fest for the first time introduced mini concerts on all five days of the event and moved two regional sports teams to Marina del Rey facilities to add to the festivities.

We are pleased to announce that the logistics have been worked out once again for 2011, and the setup will be much similar to last year's.

Miniconcerts will include three tribute bands as well as Inner Vibrancy and (making its second consecutive Feast Fest appearance) The Badly Named Band, but it is not yet known on which days these bands will perform. All performances will be in the Dining Hall, at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and at 7 p.m on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

The Manhattan Beach Solars of the UHL , located ten miles south of MDR in Manhattan Beach, will again relocate to play two home games at Marina Arena: against regional rivals the Morro Bay Rox Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. and the California (Sacramento) Sting on Friday at 5:00.

Nearby B.C. Park will provide the stage for the Winter League's Yosemite Boardgamers, who will play their "home" opener 300 miles to the south against the Copper Harbor Bronzefish, Friday at 7:30 p.m.

The GUKF's Los Angeles Barracudas will have a regularly scheduled game Saturday at Marina Arena, but they inhabit the venue throughout the season and thus did not have to move to be close to Feast Fest.

Lucrative deal aims to make the Head Chef's Table a Five-Person Entity

-Marina del Rey, CA
-Scouting Department Head Jim Dall's words about working up Galen-Ames to a Head Chef position for 2013 or 2014 shocked chefs, press and other attendees, but in fact a closeddoor meeting before the conference held with Vanderbilt, Dall, and scouters led to the jawdropping decision to attempt to expand the title of "Head Chef" to five FFers.

Vandy, Dall, and others clearly were not remembering the days of only six or seven years back when just expanding the table to accomodate two chefs was a source of overwhelming controversy.

Jim McAllister's "Head Sous-Chef" position made him a sort of de facto third Head Chef, and from this vantage point the logistics were relatively easy to work out when it was decided in 2010 that Jumpin Jimmy would become an official Head Chef in 2011, joining the Mason Duo.

But the relative ease of that transition was deceiving; now up to five Head Chefs may be in place by as early as FF 2013. Some suggested adding a sixth HC and eliminating the title of Head Sous-Chef entirely.

The rosterjuggling seems easy when you look at it one way. Make current HSC Lynn Avi a Head Chef, getting rid of the HSC designation altogether, and perhaps throw in Big Joe Pasik and Jan Stephan to complete the mix. Then you have all of the six highest rated and most prominent FF chefs all working at the elevated station.

The boondogglish aspects of the plan come into effect when you realize that Brianna Galen-Ames, who was on the 7th (lowest) line of power throughout her whole four-year FF career, would likely be nudged up to become Head Chef numero cuatro by the "Brianna's-vital-to-the-demographic"-spewing scouters. Combine her low NCA rating and her contract offer of $1,000,000 (which is simply to rejoin Feast Fest in 2012 before this new plan takes place; her contract to move up to HC may land her more than $1,500,000), and her standing just wouldn't make sense. And what Chef who might have gone in her place if not for her would get left out? Lynn Avi would certainly become HC #5, and the discriminatory Scouting Dept. would probably choose Jan Stephan over Joe Pasik (though Joe's NCA rating is slightly higher) because "he's younger and handsomer than Joe and will appear more to the young female demographic." (Note quotation marks, meaning that statement was actually spewed out for real, by Scouter Andy MacIntosh in June 2010.)

The Mason duo stated that they felt "okay" with the possibilities, noting that the setup with other top-tier chefs probably wouldn't be much different than it is now, but saying that adding Galen-Ames to the mix, who the Masons have only met several times in passing and whom they've never worked with directly on the Feast Fest floor, could bring confusion.

Again, greed is dominating the future setup possibilities for Feast Fest, giving us what I like to call the greed conundrum. It makes you want to hearken back to simpler, earlier times when there was no greed, but things weren't nearly as good as now. There were the Masons and Jim but no Joe or Lynn or Jan and no 10 million-plus television audience, and things weren't nearly as good because there was no greed. FF has been living the life of Riley because now there is greed.

Maybe if everyone gulps down a big slice of humility pie (pumpkin flavored, of course) we can figure a way to get the components of generosity and success to have an equal sign in between them.

Waves Made at Tuesday Conference

-Marina del Rey, CA
-Plenty of waves were stirred up among FF chefs and scouters Tuesday at a conference here in the Marina.

The presiding issue was the potential return of Brianna Galen-Ames, and the crowd of chefs, scouters, and even a few fans was even louder and more vicious than had been anticipated, booing at the announcement of all four slated speakers (not including Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt himself) with the exception of the venerable Lindbergh Merrssff, who received a standing ovation, his being an example of humility and the days before greedy scouting departments--in effect, he was the antithesis to everything else that went on Tuesday.

Vanderbilt was quick to rattle off the mere three-item 2011 Goals List, and then proceeded to introduce Galen-Ames. Vanderbilt's description of Galen-Ames as "a talented chefs" and saying that she ("this chef" in his words, not giving away gender) "has vastly enhanced Feast Fest in the manyyears this chef was a part of it", combined with the order of the slated speakers not being known caused the crowd to wonder if Vanderbilt was referring to Merrssff or Galen-Ames. They then chanted, "LIN-DY-OR-GALEN? LIN-DY-OR-GALEN?" When Vanderbilt introduced the next speaker as Brianna Galen-Ames, the crowd erupted into a chorus of boos.

Galen-Ames seemed oblivious to the harsh feelings against her, merely likening them to "very slight" amounts of "jealousy." She was slightly disheveled by the raucousness of the crowd, but remained peppy for the most part, saying that her chances of rejoining were "75%". Her mention that she had received a one-year contract offer of $1,000,000--which would make her the highest paid Feast Fest chef if she accepted--launched the attendees, especially Galen-Ames fellow yet (unlike Galen-Ames) relatively unknown 70- and 80-something-rated chefs into a surge of ire. The more prominent chefs such as Jim McAllister and Lynn Avi kept decorum, but exchanged disdainful looks as if to send the message that they would have booed Galen-Ames if they weren't in the spotlight as much.

Galen-Ames's remarks were about three to four minutes, and she soon was ushered off the stage for her protection and made way for Head Scouter Jim Dall, who was also resoundingly booed. Dall explained the stratospheric price tag attached to the 16-year-old chef's lucrative offer, saying that the Scouting Department was willing to pay any price to ensure her participation in the event, citing that Feast Fest would "lose" the middle-aged female portion of the "market" if Galen-Ames was not again signed. The crowd heckled Dall thoroughly when he attributed FF's success since the year she joined in 2007 almost entirely to Galen-Ames, and exploded entirely when he announced that if she rejoined there would be consideration about potentially moving her up to a Head Chef position "for 2013 or '14." Dall, like Galen-Ames, had to be shoved backstage for his own safety.

Then Ian Pertovsky was called to speak. Pertovsky was received half-and-half at first: the crowd didn't like him really, but seemed to be pleased with the fact that he was advising Galen-Ames not to consider rejoining. But they had been double-talked: Pertovsky soon said that Galen-Ames deserves better than to participate in this "mockery, sham, and rathole." This remark sent the tomatoes flying at Pertovsky, and he was assailed with the cry "GET OFF THE STAGE! GET OFF THE STAGE!", which he did summarily.

Lindbergh Merrssff received a standing O when introduced to give the inspectors' report, but that was far from most people's minds after the Galen-Ames controversy.

Vanderbilt said that the reactions from the crowd were "disappointing" but "expected," then left without further word. Galen-Ames, Dall, and Pertovsky all were quick to depart the conference room and no further comment aside from what they uttered onstage could be received.

Dall's home and cell phones had been temporarily disconnected Tuesday evening. Pertovsky could be reached by cell but hung up repeatedly. Galen-Ames's home and cell phone, email, Twitter, and Facebook accounts all were temporarily closed down.

Conference Moved

Today's FF press conference has been moved from 4:00 p.m. Pacific/7:00 p.m. Eastern to 2:30 p.m. Pacific/5:30 p.m. Eastern.

Pertovsky to comment on Galen-Ames matter

-Los Angeles
-Ian Pertovsky, the 19-year-old chef FF tried exhaustingly and unfruitfully to sign in the 2009 offseason, has announced that he will "comment" on the potential return of Brianna Galen-Ames, 16, to Feast Fest. Pertovsky may appear at today's FF press conference, "most likely to try to talk Galen-Ames out of joining," say analysts.

Expert's Editorial: Galen-Ames would be lucky to work out rejoining FF

-Expert Commentator Mike Vilshire
-from Marina del Rey

-The buzz surrounding the possible return of Brianna Galen-Ames for Feast Fest 2012 has dominated FF newslines since the announcement came to light Monday. On a personal scale, I fail to understand the bang-pow effect of the statement. It was the same way almost exactly a year ago when she made her announcement about leaving Feast Fest.

Galen-Ames is a chef who, factually, has had much worthiness to prove even after racking up four Feast Fest appearances. She's a talented but not fully fruited young liaison of the culinary world. Perhaps if that European culinary school of hers hadn't closed down and she had come back asking to join-in a few years down the road, I, from an expert's standpoint, would be more accepting.

But somehow, Galen-Ames has been grouped in with the Feast Fest stars in spite of the fact that--and this is complete frankness here--she's not one. There is something about her, a mystifying aura that draws the eyes of the FF kitchen cameras to her. And her relative youth and Martha Stewart-esque mother always in the stands somehow added to the appeal of FF, gave it a more feminine air.

Galen-Ames, however, is young. Impressionable. A teenager. In other words: she's an idiot. No blame on her for that. All teenagers are idiots. It's just their way of maturing. But Galen-Ames blasted into Feast Fest with such vim and vigor surrounding her that the whole thing went to her head. And though she was charming to all chefs off-kitchen, there were some squabbles on the kitchen floor. She looked up--rightly--to Lynn Avi and her powerful, tigresslike, sashaying style on the floor. But what she didn't realize was that Avi is an adult. She's allowed to boss people around. Galen-Ames isn't.

And herein lies the secret of the other two of the three 18- chefs FF has had in its history: they're a little scared of messing up. As they should be. It keeps them both in line, heightens their performance, and they don't step on anyone's toes.

Galen-Ames, on the contrary, isn't afraid of anybody, and when she began bossing around vets (Lindbergh Merrssff!), she developed a reputation for being "Avi Jr." Some went as far as to call her an airhead.

And while Galen-Ames always flashed her pearly whites at any camera that would point at her, her actual culinary performance has never thrived. She stands with an NCA rating of 78.7 and had the third lowest rating of any FF chef. Now, 78.7 is a great rating, doubtless--the rating of the average Joe is estimated at about 12.3--but the thing is this: all the other 70 and 80-something-rated chefs aren't grouped in with the upper echelons, the elite of the Mason duo, Avi, McAllister, Merrssff, and Pasik. Brianna Galen-Ames was grouped in with them.

The scouters had issues with Galen-Ames (they have issues with everyone, of course, but especially with her) as well. Her Martha Stewart of a mom acted as her agent, nearly taking Feast Fest to court over a "low" one-year contract offer... of $619,254.

Further investigation revealed that Galen-Ames' mother's own restaurant job had sizzled down, little Miss Martha working only part time. It soon became clear that for the Galen-Ames family, the teenager was putting the bread on the table--and a lot of it.

In October 2010, Little Miss Perfection announced her departure. Some said "good riddance," saying that snooty French chefs would better shower her with the constant adoration she sought and craved.

Now, Galen-Ames wants back in. The chefs will likely oppose things, the scouters will likely oppose things, but Galen-Ames will get back into Feast Fest. Because the middle-aged female market she appeals to is so vital to the television ratings, Jimmy Dall will instruct his aggrieved scouters to lay down almost any amount of cash sufficient to achieve it.

If Galen-Ames wants to thrive in her next stint here at FF, it's that FF emphasizes Thanksgiving, an American holiday, which in turn emphasizes American values, one of which is humility. And without that, Galen-Ames will get the moola, but perhaps not the adoration any longer. The sad thing is: she might not even care about that anymore.

And you can tell that Galen-Ames has a lesson to learn here.

Because when I side with the FF Scouting Department... you know something has gone seriously awry.