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