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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