Jurrjens Honored

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Chef Jawroldy Jurrjens has been honored for helping Feast Fest break a scoring record after he helped the event ward of a point docking of 0.1 to 0.3.

If he had come into the kitchen a second later, the thirty-second deadline for having less than 20 chefs on the floor would have been violated resulting in a major points docking.
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Friday is Official Feast Fest Day of Nothing

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-After ten months of hard work and prep, Feast Fest chefs will get their rest Friday, as they have no events assigned to them or even optionally set up for them. There will be several events for fans in the evening hours of Friday.

Saturday night will see the Official Feast Fest After Party from 9 p.m. through the wee hours of the morning. Guests are invited but only if they procure a special wristband needed for entry into the After Party.

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Accident in Kitchen During Cleanup Process

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-An overhead scoreboard fell and smashed seven cooking stations during cleanup from Feast Fest 2011 Thursday.

The scoreboard was being unscrewed from the wall as is procedure, but the cleanup workers doing this did not follow a rule stating to wait until all the excess cooking stations had been removed before removing the scoreboard.

The 6'x10' smashed eight cooking stations to oblivion. Miraculously and fortunately, no one was injured.

The incident is being investigated and the debris from it cleaned up.

The incident occurred about 10:20 p.m. Thursday. It caused a huge crash noise audible in the Dining Hall, garnering gasps and stirs from remaining fans and chefs.

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Point Docking Could Have Drastically Changed FF Outcome

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Feast Fest chefs are thanking Jawroldy Jurrjens for the 99.0 score at Feast Fest 2011 after he prevented a points docking by bursting into the Kitchen just before the thirty-second deadline Thursday when Feast Fest accidentally went under a requirement that there be at least 20 chefs on the floor at any given time.

Jurrjens entered the floor mere milliseconds before the thirty-second deadline, barely exempting Feast Fest from a points docking.

The docking was exempted when it was found that Jurrjens had entered 0.4 seconds before the deadline.

If this had not occurred, there could have been a point docking of 0.1 or as much as 0.3, which would have prevented FF from reaching its record-breaking 99 mark.

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Points Don't Matter As Much: Mason Duo Takes MVC

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Jumpin' Jimmy had 78, Lynn 76, but the Mason Duo, with NCA point values over the event of 64 and 53 respectively, were the ones taking home the Most Valuable Chef award Thursday.

Avi and McAllister finished third and second but it was the particular culinary spirit of the Mason Duo and their resilience through a Feast Fest strewn with difficulties and mishaps that brought home to them the MVC when everything was said and done.

It marks the first time since 2008 that an MVC winner has not had the most points. In 2009, the Mason Duo split values of 70 and 68, leading the pack, and won, and Jim McAllister led and won the MVC in 2010.

In 2008, Lynn Avi and Lindbergh Merrssff shared the MVC. Avi led with 71 points but Lindy only had 26.

"Points were expected to factor in more with the rehashed formula the critics had for figuring the MVC, but the Mason Duo still pulled through," said Alan Bryn, an analyst.

The lowest point value for an MVC chef came for Johnny Stevenson. When he won MVC in 2005, he had only racked up 24 NCA points over the course of his performance.




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Merrssff "Ecstatic" to Receive Ceremonial Turkey, "Elated" at 99 Score

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-A Feast Fest fixture for so many years, Lindbergh Merrssff said he was "elated" that the chefs drove home a record 99.0 score even though he was no longer on the team. In addition, the 75-year-old former Feast Fest called himself "ecstatic" about being the recipient of the Ceremonial Turkey prepared by the Mason Duo. "They did an absolutely exceptional job, as did every chef here, and to have seen them reach 99? Unbelievable. I'm just so happy for everybody involved in every way."

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Source: Galen-Ames "wanted FF to score low," booed 99.0 score announcement

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Former FF chef Brianna Galen-Ames reacted sorely and immaturely at her first Feast Fest after leaving the event in 2010, apparently "wanting FF to score low", and then booing the announcement of the official NCA score for Feast Fest 2011 being 99.0, the highest ever. Fortunately, the roar at the announcement was loud enough to drown out this impolite gesture.

"The way Ms. Galen-Ames acted today, all because of her disagreements with Feast Fest Events, Inc., was completely without bounds," said William Vanderbilt. "As owner of this event, this has been the straw to break the camel's back. I will not recommend re-signing of Galen-Ames to a deal for 2012 if she is going to bring to the event such dirty consciences and ruddy morals."

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99.0! 2011 Feast Fest is highest-rated ever, slipping over 2008 score by 0.1; Mason Duo Win Dual MVCs

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-DigIn came at an early 6:49 p.m. and was just one of many factors leading to a fantastical year as Feast Fest 2011 beat the previous record of 2008 by 0.1.

The Mason Duo shared co-MVCs, their fourth, beating out Jim McAllister by one vote. Had McAllister won MVC, he would have cradled his fifth.

Individual turkey scores rocketed to 99.8, the best individual turkey score and the best individual score for any food in event history. 99.4 marks came forth for the gravy, finally breaking its long tradition of critica ignorata, and the third best score was for sweet potatoes (a 99.2 mark). The worst score that came forward was for peas (94.6), again continuing a recent streak of downturning. The phenomenal results of other foods, however, were too much to keep the peas from sabotaging the unbelievable 99 rating.

"We'll have to say '100's the goal' now!" Jim McAllister commented.

The first 99 score could mark the end of a long era of 98s: before 2011, five of the last six Fests had scores somewhere in the 98s. The exception was 2007, which had a score of 97.3.

The 99 mark also ends a series of "odd-year-curses". For example, scores in general and in particular mashed potato and turkey scores suffered in odd-numbered years, but for unknown reasons.

Mashed potatoes did follow a different formula that created a sticky, heavy consistency but chefs rewarped the recipe so that the mashed potatoes tasted little different from the way they did in previous years.



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Dumas "Performing Well"

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Peter Dumas is "performing well" in spite of his tailbone fracture injury he suffered Tuesday. He has suffered no major collisions and no further damage to his tailbone area, and he has not been suffering pain with any movements. He has been able to move at more or less the same speedy pace he would normally harbor.

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6:00 Update

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-At 6, the projected NCA score for Feast Fest is 97.5 and Jim McAllister leads in points with 71. Lynn Avi has 70. McAllister and Avi have been battling for the points lead all day long, but Avi has only tied, not yet led, McAllister in points.

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Gravy Garners Better Marks Among Critics

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-On their first sample of the Feast Fest gravy, critics gave it better marks than usual, as it scored 98.3 on the first sampling.

Though a fan favorite, the specially formulated gravy has always elicited a lukewarm response from scorers and critics. However, this curse seems to have been broken here with the 98.3 mark. In 2010, gravy only scored 94.0, and in 2009, it scored 91.7.

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Points Will Not Be Docked

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-It has been confirmed that the NCA will not dock points from Feast Fest after they determined Jawroldy Jurrjens did enter the floor to raise the chef count to 20 by the thirty-second mark.

When the chef count slips below 20, it must come back to that number within thirty seconds or points will be docked. Jawroldy Jurrjens re-entered the floor seemingly smack on the thirty-second mark, but he in fact entered 0.4 seconds in time to up the count to 20 chefs on the floor and to save Feast Fest from a points docking.

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Ceremonial Turkey is Carved

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-The Feast Fest 2011 Ceremonial Turkey, to be chowed down on by GOH Lindbergh Merrssff, has officially been carved by the Mason Duo.

However, their preference to work on other dishes before carving disqualified the Ceremonial from the Battle for the First Turkey, and the Ceremonial clocks in as the 125th of the 347 turkeys to be carved, leaving 222 turkeys to go. DigIn is at 7:03, though given the current pace the chefs could achieve an ontime or early ending to the cooking portion after five straight years of tardy DigIns.

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Choi Wins BFtFT

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Lisa Choi has won an anticlimactic Battle for the First Turkey as the Masons withdrew from the competition. They preferred to ready their gravy before carving the turkey, and thus let Lisa Choi win off a 58.2-second lead over Jim McAllister.

Choi lost the Battle for the First Turkey in 2010 by 34 seconds. She felt "elated" to have finally grasped a win in 2011. The BftFT victory will boost her potential in the MVC voting.

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5:30 Update

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Appetizer trays were a hit and the Masons took time out for a small private interview to answer questions about their new biopic film, as the FF chefs plumped the score up to 96.9.

Jim McAllister is now tied with Lynn Avi for NCA points with 62.

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Up Next at the Elevated Table: Green Bean Snapping and Appetizer Trays

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-The Head Chefs of the Mason Duo and Jim McAllister are currently breaking from the Floor, but green bean snapping and the beginning presentation of the appetizer trays are up next at the Elevated Table.

The appetizer trays are scheduled to be presented to Dining Hall patrons sometime between 4:20 and 4:45 Pacific.

As of 4, the 93.1 score has jumped to 93.8.

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Tape Will Be Reviewed

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-A Feast Fest tape will have to be reviewed in slow motion in order to determine whether or not the event will suffer a point docking from the NCA.

NCA rules according to Feast Fest say that 20 of the 61 chefs must be on the Floor at any given time during the Official Cooking Portion, or else the NCA will dock points. It does say that once the chef count slips to 19 or lower, thirty seconds will be given for the count to creep back up to 20. If this happens, points will NOT be docked.

At 2:52 p.m. Thursday, during a lull in the action, the chef count slipped to 18. Fifteen seconds later, William Fredriks re-entered to put the count at 19. And, nearly another fifteen seconds later, Jawroldy Jurrjens re-entered to put the count at the minimum 20.

The trouble lies in determining how many seconds had passed by the time Jurrjens re-entered, as it seemed to be smack on the thirty-second line. The NCA will now resort to slow motion replay techniques to determine whether the thirty-second mark had passed when Jurrjens stepped back into the Kitchen and whether or not points will be docked.




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At 3:30, 93.1

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Halfway through Feast Fest 2011, a 93.1 mark is being posted. Although the mark is continuing to rise, the latest readings have some worried: in 2010, the projected score was at 94.9 by 3:30.

"We've got some work to do if our hunches are right that we're lagging behind," said Jim McAllister.

Mr. McAllister is certainly putting in his due to the event as he's racked up 34 NCA points so far. Right behind him are Lynn Avi and Joe Pasik with 33 and Jan Stephan with 32.

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Sweet Potato/Yam Mixture "Could Be Best Ever"

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-NCA Critics are receiving their first tastes of this year's Feast Fest sweet potato/yam mixture and are commenting that it "could be [the] best ever at Feast Fest." Head Critic John Shaw gave the sweet potatoes/yams a preliminary rating of 99.2, and it could rise.

The highest individual food score at Feast Fest currently belongs to the butter biscuits in 2007, which garnered a 99.8 mark. The sweet potatoes/yams have "the potential to tie or break that record" as their cooking and preparation progresses.

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91.2 at 2

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-At 2 o'clock, the projected score was 91.2 and is still rising. Jim McAllister and Lynn Avi are now tied for NCA points at 25.

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At 1, 89.4

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-The Feast Fest Official Projected Score at 1:00 p.m. was 89.4 and continuing to rise. Jim McAllister quickly has taken on a role as points leader, with 18. In 2010 he scored 77 at Feast Fest.

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Ceremonial Turkey at 11:57

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-For the first time in Feast Fest history, the Ceremonial Turkey was inserted in the oven BEFORE the start of the official cooking portion. Feast Fest rules do not prohibit the Ceremonial Turkey from being in the oven before the start of the Official Cooking Portion, but such a thing had never happened before.

The Mason Duo and Jim McAllister lifted the Ceremonial Turkey into the roaster oven at 11:57 a.m., twelve minutes before the official start of 12:09. However, the NCA then moved the start of the official cooking portion to 12:00 flat, seeing as "everything was ready to go and we were just waiting for no reason," so that the Ceremonial will go in the books as being three minutes early rather than the first-thought twelve.

The NCA has exercised the power of moving the start of the official cooking portion only once before, in 2004, when it shoved it forward from 12:05 to 12:00 flat.

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Leavenworth Honored by Pie Thawing

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-To cheers from a crowd Wednesday, Joan Ellsly Leavenworth was honored with the Ceremonial Pie Thawing, taking a jumbo pumpkin pie out of a refrigerator filled with solution and placing it into an oven. The Ceremonial Pie is the only to be baked Wednesday, and the only Feast Fest food prepared the day before. It will be presented to Lindbergh Merrssff along with the Ceremonial Turkey.

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Dumas "Feeling Fine"

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-"I feel fine."

So says FF chef Peter Dumas of the recovery from his Tuesday tailbone injury. He's confident he will be able to operate more or less as normal on the Feast Fest floor.

However, some, especially in the medical community, advise Dumas to take caution on the floor. He said he had considered not using the wheelie sneakers worn by chefs on the floor, but later thought of them as posing a threat.

"I just have to be more watchful. And I definitely won't try to go backwards again. I'll try my best not to get into any collisions, and if I do, I'll try to position myself so that I don't reaggravate the tailbone injury yet again."

He received the injury at a Feast Fest exhibition in March, and then reaggravated it Tuesday at the Mock "Dress Rehearsal" Feast Fest.

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Dumas Should Participate

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Peter Dumas should be able to participate in Feast Fest Thursday relatively painlessly after he injured his tailbone Tuesday. The injury during the Mock "Dress Rehearsal" Feast Fest was not a fresh one, rather a reaggravation of a tailbone injury he suffered in March.

Dumas was medicated heavily for pain at a nearby hospital Tuesday, then returned to the Beachview. He was told he can participate in Feast Fest tomorrow but that he should take "extra care" to avoid even further reaggravation of the injury.

Dumas marks the second chef this past week to have uncertainty about participating due to an injury; Jarólde Jámes had surgery for a torn muscle on Friday, but has now made a full recovery and says he "feel[s] wholly fine."




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Wednesday and Thursday: Nonstop Coverage

Come here and keep coming back here for full details and nonstop posting coverage on the leadup to Feast Fest Wednesday and on the actual event on Thursday!

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Galen-Ames Will Spectate Feast Fest from Separate Area

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-To ensure maximum security, former FF chef Brianna Galen-Ames will watch Feast Fest not from the Kitchen Pass balcony with fans, but from a special chair in an alcove on the kitchen floor.

Galen-Ames's awkward conflicts this past month after she left Feast Fest and then wanted back in for 2012 have levy her hit with a stream of unpopularity among Feast Fest chefs, officials, and fans.

Galen-Ames's contractual matters are still to be sorted out, and whether or not she may be part of the event in 2012 has yet to be determined.

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Leavenworth Chosen for Ceremonial Pie Thawing

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Feast Fest chef Joan Ellsly Leavenworth will receive the honor of being the sole chef to participate in the Ceremonial Pie Thawing Wednesday, it was announced late Tuesday.

Leavenworth was chosen from a random computer vote, which takes the names of all 61 chefs and draws a random one. There is no managerial, critical, or powerful influence or input that goes into the drawing.

Leavenworth said she was "elated" when she learned her name had been drawn Tuesday.

The thawing is purely ceremonial, involving merely a chef taking the ceremonial pie out of a refrigerator and placing it into a kitchen floor oven. The thawing was performed by Ai Okoworth in 2010, Peter Dumas in 2009, and Jane Jockell in 2008.

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Mock Feast Fest Highlights Mashed Potatoes As Main Food for Improvement

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Mashed potatoes came through as the only food needing work after the Mock "Dress Rehearsal" Feast Fest Tuesday afternoon.

The potato mixture could need remixing or recalibrating after the one used Tuesday produced a pasty, unnatural texture.

"We need that fluffy texture," said chef Jacqueline Pierce. "If we get results on Thursday like those we got today, the mashed taters won't go over well with the guests or the critics."

All other foods went well at the Mock Feast Fest, however, and a quality score to rival and perhaps beat out that of previous years is expected.

"Some years we are not sure how things will go over after the Mock Fest, but we have great confidence this time around," Jim McAllister assured.

Wednesday will be a mandated day of rest for Feast Fest chefs; there will be no exhibitions, mocks, or practices. Taking place will be some kitchen events such as the Ceremonial Pie Thawing and Baking, but such events are purely for show and will not require any real culinary work or talent from the chef body as a whole.




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Dumas Injured in Mock

-Marina del Rey, CA
-Peter Dumas could become the first Feast Fest chef to miss the event on Thursday after he reaggravated an injury to his tailbone from March.

Dumas was hospitalized for four hours for the tailbone injury at the LaLa Exhibition in New York, and he reaggravated that same injury Tuesday at the Mock "Dress Rehearsal" Version of Feast Fest in Marina del Rey.

Feast Fest thought it had cleared the bar of potential injury related absences after Jarólde Jámes recovered from a Friday leg surgery this week, but the Dumas affair will put new questions into the mix.

Dumas will again be hospitalized for "a short time" to receive pain medication. Doctors say he should be able to participate Thursday if he feels up to it, but they recommend he "take it easy" on the floor and wear regular tennis shoes instead of the roller wheel shoes usually worn by chefs. These shoes on occasion cause collisions into walls, the cause of both Dumas' March and Tuesday tailbone injuries.




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Correction

A recent article about an emergency landing of the private plane of Jan and Suzy Jenkins said the event happened Tuesday. It should have said that the emergency landing took place Monday.

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Jenkins Safe After Emer Landing

-Los Angeles
-The Jenkins duo of L.A. Wild are safe after an emergency landing of their private plane was successful Tuesday.

Suzy and Jan Jenkins, owners of the company that provides produce for Feast Fest, are based here in Los Angeles but had took time out to visit family in Raleigh, N.C., over the weekend. Their flight back to Los Angeles in time for Feast Fest had a landing gear problem of unknown origin and was forced to land at a private airport near Pomona instead of the intended landing at Los Angeles International. The Jenkins were then bussed to Marina del Rey.

The Jenkins had no injuries and the cause of the malfunction was being investigated Tuesday evening.

Suzy and Jan Jenkins were two of only four people aboard the private business jet; the others were a pilot and a flight engineer.

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Tuesday: Mock Feast Fest Day

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-All 61 chefs will convene at the Beachview Tuesday for a mock "dress rehearsal" version of Feast Fest. The mock Feast Fest will replicate all the events of this coming Thursday, with only two discrepancies: the mock PrepFest will be 9 am to Noon, whereas the real one will be from 7 am to Noon, and the mock Feast Fest ends at 6 p.m., whereas on Thursday the real thing will end closer to 7.

The Mock Feast Fest is the final chance to reevaluate and make strategical changes and assessments before Thanksgiving. "Tomorrow will be a good way to assess what we can expect and what we may need still to improve on when Thursday comes around," says chef Jim McAllister.

Wednesday will be a mandated day of rest for Feast Fest chefs.

The Mock Feast Fest, unlike the real one, is closed to the public and will not be critiqued and/or scored.

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Jámes Sits Out Sunday New Chefs Premiere, Nabs Open Monday Slot

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Recovering from leg surgery, new FF chef Jarólde Jámes missed Sunday's New Chefs Premiere event but it turned out not to be a problem as the Mexican addition this year found an open Monday slot for his trials.

Jámes received a preliminary rating of 84.5. He moved well despite his painful leg.




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Military Tribute Pushed

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Executive officials pushed heavily a proposal to begin annual military tributes during Feast Fest starting in 2012.

The proposal would set aside at least fifteen minutes each year for a service honoring military attendees. It would also increase the probability of military teams receiving the Ceremonial Turkey in future years.

The proposal will be voted on in February when executive debate resumes.

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In Final Day of Executive Deliberations, Ticket Pricing Measure Filibustered to Death

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-The Feast Fest Organization Senate and Executive Board met Saturday for one final day of deliberations before their recess until February 21 begins. A measure that would drastically introduce ticket prices in 2012 and 2013 was first proposed Monday and, with a certain winning vote pending today, a group of four members of the Organization Senate filibustered the measure for seven hours Saturday, killing it off.

Fredrick Small, Amy Brenning, Lois Jenks, and Francoise Mandissois discussed such matters as baseball, the chef body, cranberry sauce, the internet generation, and reality TV in the successful all-afternoon attempt.

At 5 p.m. Saturday the deliberations were adjourned until February. The filibuster prevented the measure from passage in the 50-member Organization Senate, meaning it failed to reach the 10-member Executive Board.

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Jámes Had Surgery Friday, Kept Out of Core Skills Runthroughs

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Feast Fest 2011 addition Jarólde Jámes successfully underwent surgery Friday to repair a torn leg muscle but had to be kept out of Core Skills Runthroughs Saturday.

"I just can't walk today," the Mexican-origin chef said Saturday. Doctors who performed the operation said that he should be able to walk effectively, but possibly with mild pain, in Thanksgiving.

"I'll participate through the pain if I must, I don't want to miss my first Feast Fest in any way, shape or form!"

Jámes is likely, though, to miss Sunday's vital New Chefs Orientation, which is necessary for the Head Chefs and other toptier chefs to orient themselves with what the newbies specialize in and can be counted on to deliver during the Big Day. The schedule for Monday and Tuesday is packed, and it will be tough to find an opening for Jámes to take his orientation session if he is still unable to walk normally on Sunday.

"I'll try as hard [as] I can, hopefully I feel better tomorrow."





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NCA's Best Goes to Avi

-New York
-Lynn Avi won her fourth NCA award of the year and her second NCA's Best as the four-week NCA 2011 Awards Announcement Period culminated in a final day of award handouts, including the NCA's Best.

3 FF chefs were in the running; only Avi podiumed.

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Executive Board Issues Ultimatum to Limit 2013 Expansion Proposals

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-The Executive Board of Feast Fest issued Wednesday an ultimatum intended to put a stop to the unwieldy number of 2013 expansion measures popping up in Feast Fest Events, Inc.'s lower legislative body, the Organization Senate.

Under the ultimatum, no new measures that could allow for expansion to two or multiple Feast Fest meals in 2013 or later may be even considered in the Organization Senate until January 2, 2012. If, at that time, the Executive Board becomes inundated with proposals, it could extend the ultimatum for two additional months.

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Avi Grabs Third NCA Award of Year

-New York
-Lynn Avi is quickly becoming one of the world's premier chefs, evidenced by her growing collection of NCA awards.

Avi, 30, won the NCA's Most Determined Title Wednesday. It's her second time winning this award and her third of 2011.

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Chefs Arrive for Feast Fest, Have Day of Meetings, Begin Training Sessions Wednesday

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-All 61 Feast Fest chefs were counted as in attendance at the Beachview Monday night, where they will spend two weeks relocated here for Feast Fest XVII.

The chefs will begin training tomorrow, and conducted a series of meetings with Feast Fest executives Tuesday. Former FF chef, teenage culinary maven Brianna Galen-Ames, overcame her broken ankle to travel here from her Central Illinois home to participate in negotiations. A survey of chefs showed they generally disapproved of her return by a margin of 47-13, saying such a more would likely generate more controversy swirling around the event than would be wanted.

Galen-Ames suffered her injury Oct. 20 when she stormed out of a conference room in ire after being heavily jeered, and wound up slipping on a waxed floor.

In addition, the lower legislative body of the event, the Organization Senate, came up with a proposal that would potentially create a setup with two Feast Fest meals, the additional on either Wednesday or Friday, but the proposal was struck down by the 50-member body 31-19 and failed to reach the upper legislative body, the Feast Fest Executive Board.





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Avi Cradles Second Consecutive Flashiest

-New York
-Lynn Avi won, and the mononymic Moore podiumed at second in the NCA's Flashiest Chef of 2011 award.

Avi swept away competition with 20% of the voting percentile, and Moore and Lisa Choi scrapped over the gristle of the glory as Moore turned in second with 9.6% of the vote and Choi received 9.4%.

This marks Avi's third NCA first place award of the 2011 Awards Season. She earned Most Beautiful in October and racked up Best European Monday night.

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Measure to Expand To Two Feast Fest Meals on Thanksgiving Pigeonholed by Executive Board

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-The ten-member Executive Board, the highest legislative body of Feast Fest, pigeonholed Monday a measure that would have set up two Feast Fest Thanksgiving Meals on Thanksgiving starting as early as 2013.

Chief Executive William H.K. Vanderbilt and Vice Executives Arthur Ayeiy and Robert Smallston claimed that the proposal was "too logistically difficult" and that there is no way "to create a logistical, proper, two-meal setup with allowal of continual full quality of the event without serving a Thanksgiving meal on a separate day," something execs wish to avoid for "logistical and traditional purposes."

Upon hearing the news of the pigeonhole Monday, which came via a 10-0 vote of dissention, the lower legislative body of Feast Fest, the 50-member Feast Fest Event Organization Senate, immediately set about a proposal that would place a second meal on either neighboring Wednesday or Friday. Ayeiy commented that such a measure, if it were to reach the upper echelons of event management, would likely be buried as well.

"This is a one meal event," he stated. "If we are interested in expanding the number of customers we can handle, we should focus on trying to expand its capacity rather than its number of meals."

Although the Feast Fest chefs have no real management power, the Executive Board is considered "the voice of the chefs" and thus they put the matter to a vote among chefs to gauge their opinion. FF chefs disapproved of the proposal by numbers of 54-7, and when surveyed disapproved the potential for adding a second meal on a different day by a margin of 52-9. The only major chef who agreed was Lisa Choi, who said she could "see the major positives that the proposal brings to the table."

It should be noted that "pigeonholing" in Feast Fest parlance abandons the more precise definition of a proposal never even being considered and expands to include those that are not considered and those that are but which are voted against overwhelmingly.







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Correction

An article was erroneously posted late Monday that was incomplete and which stated that FF chef Moore had won the NCA's Flashiest Chef of 2011 Award. Moore actually podiumed at second and the first place title went to Lynn Avi. Full details will come soon.

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Correction

Because of a processing error, an announcement that stated that FF chef Daniel Mettling won the NCA's Best Natural Award of 2011 was posted at 07:59 UTC 11/14/2011 but did not appear until 08:00 UTC 11/15/2011.

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Mettling Wins NCA's Best Natural

-New York
-Daniel Mettling, the Yosemite-based Feast Fest chef, can claim the first NCA award of his career Monday as he has been awarded the NCA's Best Natural 2011 Award, it was announced late Sunday/early Monday. The Best Natural award goes to the chef with the best display of nature influences in cooking.

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Moore wins Flashiest

-New York
-Moore won NCA's Flashiest.
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Call it a Sweep! A FF Sweep For NCA's Best European

-New York
-Lynn Avi captured the first place trophy and led four fellow FFers in the first Feast Fest sweep of an NCA award since 2009.

A "sweep" is when all of the top five slots of an NCA award are occupied by a Feast Fest chef, and after a drought of such occurrences in 2010, they've popped back up here in 2011. Lynn Avi won NCA's Best European 2011 with 19% of the vote, and following her were Alue-Charlote Ste-Germaine Melling with 17%, Fredrik Persønn with 12%, Andruw Stephan with 9%, and Alexei Aiber with 7%. A collection of 37 other chefs comprised the remaining 36%. Guilliame Jacquetaine was also in the running and received 3.2%.

"It is truly thrilling to learn that Feast Fest has achieved a sweep again, and I am immeasurably proud of all the chefs who comprised this one," commented Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt. Many of the chefs were asleep when the announcement was made and have not been told of it yet. "They'll know as soon as they wake, we'll call them."







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FF Ticketing Hotline Closed

-The Feast Fest ticketing hotline will close at Midnight Pacific Sunday. Beginning Monday, no tickets for FF 2011 will be available for purchase. FF 2012 tickets and Beachview Resort 2011 FF dates lodging will remain available.

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Correction

An article on Marc Monde winning NCA's Best Canadian said it was the first time his son Aleck podiumed in an NCA award. Aleck did podium in 2010 under the Best Rookie Chef category.

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Bartlett Contemplates Return

-Marina del Rey, CA
-As the list of potential chef additions for Feast Fest 2012 continues to grow, yet another name can be added, this one a former member of the event.

Gerald Bartlett, 44, participated from 2000-2002 and says he is contemplating returning to the event. Bartlett racked up 47 NCA points over those three years.

Bartlett left due to contractual disagreements, but preliminary meetings Saturday led to the conclusion that the two sides may be able to work out a viable deal for a 2012 return.

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Jámes has surgery date moved up

-Los Angeles
-Jarólde Jámes has announced that he has moved up a surgery date to repair an injured foot from Nov. 20 to Nov. 15.

The move increases the likelihood he will be able to participate in FF, as he originally feared surgery recovery would bench him.




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Monde & Son Monde Place 1st, 2nd in NCA's Best Canadian

-New York
-Former FF chef Marc Monde and his son, current FF chef Aleck Monde, have finished back to back in first and second place, respectively, for the NCA's "Best Canadian Chef of 2011" honor.

Marc Monde has won this award before in 2002, when he was an FF chef, and in 2009, by the time he had left Feast Fest. His son Aleck racks up his first career NCA award podium here.

Marc Monde has also won NCA's best French in 1999 and 2007, and placed fifth in the running for the 2011 version of that award, losing out to fellow FFer Alue-Charlote Ste-Germaine Melling.

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Correction

The "Week in Feast Fest" entry for Friday, Nov. 11-Thursday, Nov. 17 was erroneously not released until late Friday night. It should have been released early Friday morning.

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The Week in Feast Fest: Friday, November 11, 2011 - Thursday, November 17, 2011

Important Feast Fest dates this week:

Friday, 11/11 - Veterans Day Honoring America Feast Fest Preview

Saturday, 11/12 - No unique activities scheduled

Sunday, 11/13 - FINAL DAY TO ORDER TICKETS FOR FEAST FEST 2011

Monday, 11/14 - NCA 2011 Award Releases Continue

Tuesday, 11/15 - Brianna Galen-Ames set to appear at meetings in M.D.R.

Wednesday, 11/16 - No unique activities scheduled

Thursday, 11/17 - Feast Fest chefs set to attend the L.A. C.O.C. Tree Lighting Ceremony

Birthdays!
11/13 - Jim McAllister (39)

Next WiFF - Friday, November 18, 2011 - Thursday, November 24, 2011

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Caccicci, Ainenl, Galen-Ames Form Bond

-Los Angeles
-It was reported late Thursday that Claudien Ainenl, Antonio Caccicci, and Brianna Galen-Ames have officially formed and established what they call "The Union For Chefs Awaiting Employment From Feast Fest Events, Inc." (UFCAEFFE [phonetical:uff-kayf or uff-kay-fee])

The unionization forming allows the chefs to hire reps, lawyers, and additional agents and will make their demands look more intimidating to scouters when negotiations resume in December.

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Melling Wins NCA's Best French

-New York
-A Feast Fest chef has been honored as the NCA's Best French Chef of 2011, it was announced very early Friday.

Alue-Charlote Ste-Germaine Melling picks up her second Best French honor. She won before in 2008.

FF chef Guilliame Jacquetaine came in second, and Melling won by one vote, 87-86.

Melling said she "feels elated" to have won the honor.

"I was dazzled enough when I won this the first time, and joy overcame me when I found out I had been honored again. French is one of the largest styles of cooking in the world, and to be considered the top French chef of 2011 is a tremendous honor I never will forget."

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Aiber Wins Third NCA Best of the Rest Award of Career

-New York
-Alexei Aiber, considered perhaps the most talented FF chefs who is not in the public spotlight (compared with such chefs as the Mason Duo, Jim McAllister, and Lynn Avi), has won the NCA's Best of the Rest Underestimated/Overlooked Chefs Award for the third time in his career, it was announced very late Thursday/very early Friday.

Aiber won this honor before in 2006 and 2009.

Fellow FFer Thenoø Law, who won in 2004 and 2010, placed third in the top five chefs for the award.




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Choi Wins NCA's Most Fiery (With a Pan)

-New York
-Lisa Choi has become a seven-time winner of the NCA's Most Fiery (With a Pan) Chef Award after capturing the 2011 installment, it was announced very late Wednesday/very early Thursday.

Choi, who generally stands with Lynn Avi as one of the main "flare-ish" chefs, has won before in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2010. Colleague Avi won the award in 2006 and 2008, and came in second in this year's vote.

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Dumas Wins Third NCA Best Latin Influence Award of Career

-New York
-The NCA announced early Thursday that Feast Fest chef Peter Dumas has won the NCA's 2011 Chef with the Best Latin Influence Award, the third time in his career he has won the honor.

Dumas won in 2001 and 2009, and fellow Feast Fest chefs Ivan Peterman and Jarólde Jámes have won the award in 2010 and 2007, respectively (Jámes won before joining Feast Fest).

Dumas's heritage is mixed British-Spanish, and he has been recognized as one of the world's premier chefs of Latin cuisines.

Fellow FF chef Ivan Peterman lost the award by 0.23% of the vote.




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Looking Ahead: Two Feast Fests could bring twice the revenue, but is it logistically possible?

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-In the latest in a series of moves being discussed that could dramatically expand and rearrange the infrastructure of Feast Fest in the relatively near future, it was announced by FF Executive Official Shalana-dena Mirorando that one of many possible expansions to be discussed in the 2011-2012 offseason will be that considering the possibilities of adding a second Thanksgiving Dinner to Feast Fest.

Such a move would greatly increase ticket and peripheral revenues as the amount of possible attendees could increase from 2,000 to 4,000.

Under such an arrangement, Mirorando explained, the event would still be given one score and one Most Valuable Chef, but chefs would prepare two sets of Thanksgiving dinners. The first would have the Official Cooking Portion beginning at 8 a.m. and would set DigIn at 3 p.m., and the second would begin at 4:30 p.m. and set dinner at 11 p.m., with NCA ratings and MVC announcements coming at Midnight.

However, such an arrangement clearly has its drawbacks. It would hurt TV ratings in the East Coast market, where even diehard viewers would be unlikely to stay up till 3 a.m. their time for the event's conclusion. It would also require potentially hiring extra chefs so that not all 61 would have to work fifteen straight hours. In addition, the prospects of eating dinner at 11 would not be very popular with half of the event's guests.

"We have logistics to work out still."



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Redesigns

Please bear with us as various redesigns are made to our Feast Fest Blogger site.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation!

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Feast Fest Events, Inc. "had full right to fire" Daved Leineken

-Los Angeles
-A suit filed for unfair dismissal by Feast Fest Scouter Daved Leineken lasted only four hours Monday, as it was ruled that Leineken had violated the terms of his contract by bribing Brianna Galen-Ames and that Feast Fest Events, Inc. "had [the] full right to fire [him]."

Leineken claimed that the money he had on his person when he visited Galen-Ames's home on July 6 should have fallen under the category of IME: internegotiational monetary exchanges," which would be legal via the FF bylaws and not be grounds for firing.

It was pointed out, however, that Feast Fest bylaws state that if a visit to a potential chef is made but no negotiations take place, the money on the scouter's person is uncategorized and could "be interpreted as bribery."

Since Leineken was turned away at the door by Galen-Ames, no negotiations took place and thus the purpose of the money Leineken took with him could be categorized as for bribery. Thus, Leineken's October firing from the Feast Fest Scouting Department was legal.

"We knew Leineken's chances were very slight, and we are glad to put this matter behind us and continue on with the hardworking and loyal scouters that we still have with," Jim Dall, head of the Scouting Dept., said midday Monday.




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Leineken to challenge FF in suit

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Daved Leineken will challenge Feast Fest Events, Inc. in the lawbooks starting Monday and extending throughout the upcoming week, but he "has a very low chance of winning," analysts say.

Leineken will try to prove he did not bribe Brianna Galen-Ames in an attempt to get her to rejoin Feast Fest this past August, an action which result in Leineken's firing as a Feast Fest scouter. He is accusing FF of unfair dismissal.

However, the evidence is starkly stacked against him, experts say. "Galen-Ames has said repeatedly that she was bribed by Leineken," says Executive Official Arthur Ayeiy, "but we have hired an organization to administer a polygraph test just to ensure the validity of that statement. We believe her, but we need to be certain."

Leineken has made direct allusions to visiting the Galen-Ames home "with tender available," but he believe that the FF contract states a "bribe" must be accepted by a recipient in order to result in firing. Galen-Ames, Leineken insists, did not accept "even a penny of cash from my person or any friends of mine."

Leineken also wishes to rally for his belief that even if the money had been accepted by Galen-Ames it would fall under the category of "internegotiational monetary exchanges," which FF considers legal and which does not result in firing.

But, "we do not know how Leineken intends to make a case that the money he possessed was for a purpose that will fall into the legal IME category instead of the illegal bribery category," Ayeiy says.

Leineken has a right to file an unfair dismissal suit, but with the weight stacked against him the proceedings could last "only a day," but all five days of this upcoming week have been set aside should they be needed.






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NCA's "Best Brayton Hill Alumnus" Goes to Dreim

-New York
-FF chef Steven Dreim has won the NCA's award for Best Brayton Hill Alumnus, it was said very late Sunday.

Dreim attended Brayton Hill Univ. just outside Cincinnati, Oh., and the college is notable for producing "most notable chefs who hail from the American midwest."

Popularly, FF and Brayton Hill are usually connected by FF Assistant Head Sous-Chef Joe Pasik, but he had won the award five years in a row, from 2006 to 2010, disqualifying him from nomination. He can be nominated again in 2012.

"Dreim is a great chef and I am ecstatic he won the Brayton Hill award this year," Pasik said. "His connections to that hallowed college need acknowledgment, and I'm so glad he's gotten that."

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Jámes hopes surgery date will not hinder Feast Fest performance

-Los Angeles
-Could Jarólde Jámes become the first ever Feast Fest chef to, well, miss Feast Fest?

The possibility is slight, but still there, as the Mexican culinary maven must undergo foot surgery on "the only date the office had available," which is Mon., Nov. 21, just three days before Feast Fest.

Jámes ripped and shredded a muscle in his foot this past Wednesday in a home accident and had an ER visit. He was given a stilt, told to keep weight off the foot and book a surgery to repair the injured muscle.

The injury is not an actual threat to Jámes's health, but there are questions about whether he may be forced to sit out his debut Feast Fest if he has post-surgery foot pain that immobilizes him from the fast paced action of the Feast Fest floor.

Jámes also worries about the potential negative prospects of the event. "My contract is one-year, so if I get paid without even participating in the main Feast Fest event on Thanksgiving, that'll look bad and hinder my chances of getting re-signed for 2012," he explained. "The worst case scenario is that I never get to participate in Feast Fest on the Real Big Day. I don't want to have a one-year career just in exhibitions. What would the training of those have been for if I can't cook on Thanksgiving?"

His doctor says the operation should have him back on his injured right foot "in a few days," but was hazy about how many days "a few" signified.

"I'll see how things go," Jámes says. "If I can walk around on both feet effectively, even if it's painful, I'm doing it. Don't care what the docs say. I can't miss this, I'm too excited!"

Jámes is more or less guaranteed to miss the vital "dress rehearsal mock Feast Fest" on Tues., Nov. 22, one day after his surgery. "Hopefully, if I can participate on Thanksgiving, missing the mock runthrough on Tuesday won't take too much away from my culinary effectiveness."



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Correction

An article was erroneously published late Saturday concerning unknown-origin meaningless lettering. The meaning and cause of this posting have not yet been determined.

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A

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Galen-Ames Declines VIP Treatment

-Chicago
-Brianna Galen-Ames notified Feast Fest Event Organizers Friday that she does not wish to sit in a special "luxury seat" and have her presence announced on the Feast Fest scoreboard when she attends the event as a spectator on Nov. 24.

If Galen-Ames, 16, is re-signed by Feast Fest for the 2012 event, 2011 will be the only year of her career where she was a spectator.

Due to a harsh response from colleagues and fans in regard to her potential re-signing, Galen-Ames does "not want to elicit a potential harsh and dangerous outcry of a response" if she is given VIP treatment, and especially if she is announced to the crowd on the kitchen balcony scoreboard.

"I want to blend in with all the other attendees," she said. "I love the VIP treatment, but for my personal safety I think that should be avoided."

Event organizers assured Galen-Ames that her request could be met.

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Report of Scouting Summit Uses Scare Tactics Involving TV Ratings to Plump Galen-Ames Efforts - says little about Ainenl

-Montreal
-Head Scouter Jim Dall released the Official report for the Scouting Summit in Montreal from Nov. 1-2 late in the workday Friday.

The report, written in collaboration by Jim Dall and Scouters Mike Angsten and RosaLinda Meschyel, spoke little on the matter of Claudien Ainenl, relegating negotiations with him to "mere fruitless fluff" and "a waste of the time of all the good scouters at this event." It also wrote that "although nothing will be decided or confirmed at this time, our chances of pursuing Mr. Ainenl in the offseason have greatly diminished."

It then went on for seven other pages on the "absolute importance" of re-signing Brianna Galen-Ames for 2012. Galen-Ames, who participated in the summit via webcam from her central Illinois home due to a broken ankle, wanted to raise the maximum contract offer from $1.5 million/year to $2 million a year. Though Scouters refused, they did say they would undergo intense negotiations "of other contractual aspects" to please Galen-Ames. The report elaborated on this: "The talents and monetary importance of this chef are beyond measure, such that we will take measures as drastic as possible as long as they do not interfere with something as sacred as the offer roof."

The report then took on an apocalyptic tone, predicting "all-systems-failures" and "total loss of interest in the event of a certain demographic" if Galen-Ames were not to be signed. "The 30-45-age female demographic will go entirely down the tubes this Thanksgiving with Galen-Ames not on the team. There will be a guaranteed drop of 31% in this demographic and we will need to re-sign her for 2012 to recover from that."

Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt shooed the remarks in the report away, calling them "inflated, biased and meaningless figures."




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The Week in Feast Fest: Friday, November 4, 2011 - Thursday, November 10, 2011

Important Feast Fest dates this week:

Friday, 11/4 - The FF Scouting Department will release the Official Results Report of the Scouting Summit in Montreal Nov. 1-2.

Saturday, 11/5 - No unique activities scheduled.

Sunday, 11/6 - No unique activities scheduled.

Monday, 11/7 - Daved Leineken, the Scouter accused of bribing Brianna Galen-Ames, will face Feast Fest Events, Inc. in court in an unfair dismissal suit.

Tuesday, 11/8 - A meeting will be held among FF executive officials regarding possible expansion of the event in 2012 and 2013.

Wednesday, 11/9 - Writers' Wednesday: First drafts of the 2011 Feast Fest souvenir program and guest's guide will be released.

Thursday, 11/10 - Brianna Galen-Ames will have remarks of about an hour via webcam from her central Illinois home to address the controversy surrounding her potential return as well as her recent accusations of accepting bribes and contractual indecency.

Birthdays!
11/9 - William Vanderbilt (Manager of Feast Fest and the Beachview Resort)

11/10 - Aleck Monde (chef)

Next WiFF - Friday, November 11, 2011 - Thursday, November 17, 2011



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Mason Duo, McAllister, Held Back from Practice

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-The Mason Duo and Jim McAllister did not show up at a practice for Feast Fest at the Beachview Thursday in which all major chefs were wished to be present after some prominent chefs missed recent exhibition.

However, the Mason could not make it "due to feeling under the weather" and McAllister claimed he had "pressing familial issues."

"We assure everyone, the Masons and I are not trying to shirk our FF responsibilities. We just keep getting slammed with unfortunate circumstances."

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Maintenance

Maintenance will be performed on the FF ticketing hotline Thursday, November 3, 2011, from 6 am PDT/9 am EDT to 1 pm PDT/4 pm EDT.
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Ainenl, Galen-Ames, Scouters, Still at Stalemate

-Montreal
-On the final day of a Scouting Summit here in Montreal, it is looking less likely that Claudien Ainenl and Brianna Galen-Ames may join and rejoin, respectively, than it did before the Summit began.

Ainenl lowered his contract demand to $700,000, but still would not budge any further than that. "He can switch from stubborn to flexible and back in a matter of minutes," said Head Scouter Jim Dall.

Brianna Galen-Ames, participating via webcam due to a broken ankle, still is pressing hard for the maximum potential contract offer to be raised from $1.5 million to $2 million.

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Talks with Ainenl Shudder to Halt

-Montreal
-Talks with Parisian master Claudien Ainenl at the Scouting Summit in Montreal in attempts to add him to the Feast Fest team in 2012 have come to a shuddering halt, Head Scouter Jim Dall says.

Dall reports that Ainenl will settle for no more than $800,000. FFers had prepared for Ainenl a $550,000 contract to present to him upon the beginning of the next offseason in December.

"Ainenl had given us the impression that he was willing to come to the table and be flexible with his pay amounts," commented Dall. "We weren't prepared for a demand of $800,000. It hit us like a ton of bricks."

Dall said that top-tier chefs such as Lynn Avi, Jim McAllister, and the Mason Duo rake in anywhere from $750,000-$900,000 a year for their participation at Feast Fest, but, "due to his commitments to his restaurant, we assumed he would have less time to practice Americana styles for Feast Fest. Because of this, we placed him in our minds on a lower line of power than a top-tier chef. And, although Ainenl accepted this and did not demand his position with the event be raised, he is demanding a salary amount wherein we would have to give him a higher position to meet his demands."

"We're sort of at a stalemate right now."

Brianna Galen-Ames' negotiations have also fallen apart, as she is unsuccessfully trying to worm her way through the lawbooks of the event to raise the maximum salary from $1,500,000 to $2,000,000.

Dall says, "We just raised the maximum amount from 1 million to 1.5 million a couple weeks ago. We've been through that whole rigmarole. We're not ready to jump back into that again, not this soon."

Ainenl and Scouters Meet for Summit

-Montreal
-Scouters and Claudien Ainenl are meeting and Brianna Galen-Ames is participating via webcam here at the first day of a two day scouting summit in Montreal.

The summit could be groundbreaking, as it could potentially result in adding Ainenl's talents to Feast Fest 2012, and it could make or break the possibilities to re-add former FF chef Brianna Galen-Ames to the event.

"Our negotiations with Ainenl have gone very well so far. We seem to be in agreement on most of the most vital contractual facets and details," said Head Scouter Jim Dall. "We are also participating with Brianna Galen-Ames by webcam and we are finding contractual agreements with her as well, but we need to discuss with her a way to make sure she gets accepted should she be re-signed, because she was treated pretty badly by some of the chefs."

And as a matter of fact, it was her unpopularity with the chef body that is preventing her from attending the summit in person. She slipped on a wax floor after being forced out of a conference room by her former fellow chefs Oct. 20, and she ended up breaking her ankle.

Galen-Ames Confirms Webcam Participation

-Chicago
-Brianna Galen-Ames has confirmed she will participate via webcam at the Scouting Summit Tuesday and Wednesday in Montreal.

She must participate via webcam from her Illinois home due to the broken ankle she suffered Oct. 20 when she was forced out of a conference room by an angry crowd and slipped on a wax floor.

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