-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-L.A. Wild, whose farms provide 88% of the produce used for Feast Fest, inked a five-year contract with Feast Fest late Wednesday to take its relationship with the event through Feast Fest 2017.
Jan Jenkins, co-owner of L.A. Wild, leaked rumors of the deal, which was later confirmed by exec Beryl Shady.
Under the deal, 93% of produce will now come from L.A. Wild.
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Wednesday, October 31, 2012
In Paris, Ainenl and Vanderbilt-Dall-Ayeiy Incapable of Making Headway
-Paris
-William Vanderbilt, Jim Dall, and Arthur Ayeiy negotiated Wednesday in Paris with the French master Claudien Ainenl, but what hoped to be a good and productive day of talks instead crept to a halt.
Feast Fest had packaged a $677,505, 3-year staggered deal for Ainenl, slated to take him through 2015. However, the flip-floppy Ainenl, a mere two weeks removed from claiming he would happily accept any offer above $500,000, instead burst into indignation upon receiving the $677K deal and set another offer minimum, saying that he wants at least $725,000.
"It's a setback," Dall said. "We don't know why Ainenl was so suddenly uncooperative. We're going to have to talk to his agent about it tomorrow."
Dall was referring to a visit to Budapest, Hungary, where Ainenl's current agent is based, which is on Thursday's agenda.
"The problem with that avenue is that we don't know if his agent is encouraging this stubbornness in him," Dall remarked. "We need to be prepared for anything; Mr. Ainenl's agent could be wholly cooperative, or, if playing things stiff was his own idea, then the talks with the agent tomorrow could be a carbon copy of the talks we have just undergone today."
However, the agent of Ainenl's is a new one who "does not wish to stifle" Ainenl's own input into the process. When these two sides negotiated in 2011, his old agent forced Feast Fest to offer up at least $900,000 even when Ainenl himself was willing to go lower.
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-William Vanderbilt, Jim Dall, and Arthur Ayeiy negotiated Wednesday in Paris with the French master Claudien Ainenl, but what hoped to be a good and productive day of talks instead crept to a halt.
Feast Fest had packaged a $677,505, 3-year staggered deal for Ainenl, slated to take him through 2015. However, the flip-floppy Ainenl, a mere two weeks removed from claiming he would happily accept any offer above $500,000, instead burst into indignation upon receiving the $677K deal and set another offer minimum, saying that he wants at least $725,000.
"It's a setback," Dall said. "We don't know why Ainenl was so suddenly uncooperative. We're going to have to talk to his agent about it tomorrow."
Dall was referring to a visit to Budapest, Hungary, where Ainenl's current agent is based, which is on Thursday's agenda.
"The problem with that avenue is that we don't know if his agent is encouraging this stubbornness in him," Dall remarked. "We need to be prepared for anything; Mr. Ainenl's agent could be wholly cooperative, or, if playing things stiff was his own idea, then the talks with the agent tomorrow could be a carbon copy of the talks we have just undergone today."
However, the agent of Ainenl's is a new one who "does not wish to stifle" Ainenl's own input into the process. When these two sides negotiated in 2011, his old agent forced Feast Fest to offer up at least $900,000 even when Ainenl himself was willing to go lower.
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Maintenance Scheduled
Maintenance on the FF ticketing hotline has been scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, November 1, 2012. The routine maintenance will take place from 6 a.m. Pacific/9 a.m. Eastern to 12 pm Pacific/3 pm Eastern.
Apologies are issued for any inconveniences this may cause.
Maintenance was last performed on the hotline on Oct. 15.
Apologies are issued for any inconveniences this may cause.
Maintenance was last performed on the hotline on Oct. 15.
Shady Trip Also Rearranged
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Feast Fest executive Beryl Shady's around-the-world trek has also been rearranged. Her stops in Phoenix and San Francisco, and consequentially her whole trip from Nov. 4, will be pushed back a day to Nov. 5 to coincide with the Vanderbilt-Dall-Ayeiy threesome moving this portion of their trip to accommodate rescheduled Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. stops on Nov. 4 which were scheduled for earlier this week and wiped out by Hurricane Sandy.
"The storm is causing a flummoxing reorganization of everybody's schedules," Shady said, reporting from Yellowstone, Wyo.
-Feast Fest executive Beryl Shady's around-the-world trek has also been rearranged. Her stops in Phoenix and San Francisco, and consequentially her whole trip from Nov. 4, will be pushed back a day to Nov. 5 to coincide with the Vanderbilt-Dall-Ayeiy threesome moving this portion of their trip to accommodate rescheduled Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. stops on Nov. 4 which were scheduled for earlier this week and wiped out by Hurricane Sandy.
"The storm is causing a flummoxing reorganization of everybody's schedules," Shady said, reporting from Yellowstone, Wyo.
Vandy-Dall-Ayeiy add Day to Trip
-Paris
-William Vanderbilt, Jim Dall, and Arthur Ayeiy will add an extra day to their world scouting and contract negotiation tour.
Originally slated to end Nov. 4, the tour will now end Nov. 5. This is because the threesome will visit Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. on Nov. 4, cities scrubbed for visitation by Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy. They were scheduled to visit those cities on Monday, when Sandy was pummeling the East Coast. The threesome's Nov. 4 schedule of Houston, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles has been amended to Nov. 5 with Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Houston has been removed from that day's itinerary because the threesome instead visited Houston on Monday to fill the void left by being unable to travel to Philly and D.C.
The three are currently in Paris, in the middle of the World Tour's European swing. The tour has three individual swings through North America, separated by European and Asian swings.
-William Vanderbilt, Jim Dall, and Arthur Ayeiy will add an extra day to their world scouting and contract negotiation tour.
Originally slated to end Nov. 4, the tour will now end Nov. 5. This is because the threesome will visit Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. on Nov. 4, cities scrubbed for visitation by Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy. They were scheduled to visit those cities on Monday, when Sandy was pummeling the East Coast. The threesome's Nov. 4 schedule of Houston, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles has been amended to Nov. 5 with Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Houston has been removed from that day's itinerary because the threesome instead visited Houston on Monday to fill the void left by being unable to travel to Philly and D.C.
The three are currently in Paris, in the middle of the World Tour's European swing. The tour has three individual swings through North America, separated by European and Asian swings.
Bigelow Interested In Rejoining
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Jeffrey Bigelow wants to launch negotiations with Feast Fest as he may be the next entry in a recent trend of former Feast Fest chefs returning to the event.
Bigelow, 44, was a Feast Fest chef for four "wonderful years", from 2003-2006. He resigned in front of Feast Fest 2007 because no viable contractual agreement could be reached during that offseason.
Bigelow is a core All-American chef, based in St. Louis. "I am very interested in reinstating my Feast Fest career.". Bigelow claimed to be interested in rejoining when he heard about the contract signings this offseason of Gerald Bartlett and Rina Shelstinnia, both former chefs.
"Bigelow was a great contributor to the all-American culinary atmosphere in his four Feast Fests," Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt said. "We'd be much more than ebullient to welcome him back."
Feast Fest and Bigelow will meet come December.
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-Jeffrey Bigelow wants to launch negotiations with Feast Fest as he may be the next entry in a recent trend of former Feast Fest chefs returning to the event.
Bigelow, 44, was a Feast Fest chef for four "wonderful years", from 2003-2006. He resigned in front of Feast Fest 2007 because no viable contractual agreement could be reached during that offseason.
Bigelow is a core All-American chef, based in St. Louis. "I am very interested in reinstating my Feast Fest career.". Bigelow claimed to be interested in rejoining when he heard about the contract signings this offseason of Gerald Bartlett and Rina Shelstinnia, both former chefs.
"Bigelow was a great contributor to the all-American culinary atmosphere in his four Feast Fests," Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt said. "We'd be much more than ebullient to welcome him back."
Feast Fest and Bigelow will meet come December.
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Lala Remains Shuttered
-New York
-Lynn Avi returned to her Manhattan eatery Lala from a three-day Florida trip Tuesday night and announced it would remain closed.
The European-style restaurant is without power, along with almost the whole of Lower Manhattan after the city and much of the East Coast was pounded by Hurricane Sandy on Monday.
However, Avi reported "no structural damage" at Lala. "Lala is just fine aside from the power being out. But I am in shock. Some parts of the city are absolutely ravaged." Avi announced that she would be staying temporarily in the Upper West Side apartment of a friend, as power is also out in her own Lower Manhattan apartment.
Other Feast Fest chefs have restaurants in the Big Apple, but Avi's was the only without power, as most others are in Midtown or Upper Manhattan, where power for the most part has been restored.
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-Lynn Avi returned to her Manhattan eatery Lala from a three-day Florida trip Tuesday night and announced it would remain closed.
The European-style restaurant is without power, along with almost the whole of Lower Manhattan after the city and much of the East Coast was pounded by Hurricane Sandy on Monday.
However, Avi reported "no structural damage" at Lala. "Lala is just fine aside from the power being out. But I am in shock. Some parts of the city are absolutely ravaged." Avi announced that she would be staying temporarily in the Upper West Side apartment of a friend, as power is also out in her own Lower Manhattan apartment.
Other Feast Fest chefs have restaurants in the Big Apple, but Avi's was the only without power, as most others are in Midtown or Upper Manhattan, where power for the most part has been restored.
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Caccicci, Scouters Meet in Middle at $626,000
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-A team of scouters has negotiated with Italian master Armando Caccicci to come to terms on a $626,000 for two years starting 2013, with a 2015 option.
Caccicci set an offer minimum of $650,000 Oct. 20, but scouters refused to go that high, instead offering a $602,000 contract which the Rome-based culinary paragon rejected. Caccicci met in the middle Wednesday by lowering his offer minimum to $626,000, and Feast Fest, impatient with the ping-pong back-and-forth of recent negotiations, decided to jump at that offer a mere 45 minutes after it was announced. Of course, because it is not officially the offseason, the deal can't be formally inked until it begins on Mon., Dec. 3.
This does not, however, mean that the deal is wholly settled. There will be several other talking points to burrow through come the next offseason on minor issues, mainly to do with the payment of minor benefits, such as how much Feast Fest is willing to pay for transportation, how much Feast Fest will provide support for passport obtainment and lodging, and how much share Feast Fest will be responsible for in medical benefits.
"We have the meat of the deal with Mr. Caccicci agreed upon," said Head Scouter Jim Dall, speaking from Paris. "But we still have to negotiate with Mr. Caccicci on potatoes and carrots issues such as transportation tabs and medical benefits."
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-A team of scouters has negotiated with Italian master Armando Caccicci to come to terms on a $626,000 for two years starting 2013, with a 2015 option.
Caccicci set an offer minimum of $650,000 Oct. 20, but scouters refused to go that high, instead offering a $602,000 contract which the Rome-based culinary paragon rejected. Caccicci met in the middle Wednesday by lowering his offer minimum to $626,000, and Feast Fest, impatient with the ping-pong back-and-forth of recent negotiations, decided to jump at that offer a mere 45 minutes after it was announced. Of course, because it is not officially the offseason, the deal can't be formally inked until it begins on Mon., Dec. 3.
This does not, however, mean that the deal is wholly settled. There will be several other talking points to burrow through come the next offseason on minor issues, mainly to do with the payment of minor benefits, such as how much Feast Fest is willing to pay for transportation, how much Feast Fest will provide support for passport obtainment and lodging, and how much share Feast Fest will be responsible for in medical benefits.
"We have the meat of the deal with Mr. Caccicci agreed upon," said Head Scouter Jim Dall, speaking from Paris. "But we still have to negotiate with Mr. Caccicci on potatoes and carrots issues such as transportation tabs and medical benefits."
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Shelstinnia, Feast Fest Come to Terms on Deal
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Feast Fest chef Rina Shelstinnia, who signed on to Feast Fest in February with a one-year contract, has come to terms with Feast Fest for an extension.
Shelstinnia and scouters Tuesday agreed to a 3-year, $301,422 staggered deal, with Shelstinnia to receive $301,422 in 2013, $304,551 in 2014, and $306,823 in 2015. Shelstinnia will receive $299,533 in 2012 under the one-year deal.
"We have everything set up," Shelstinnia said. "The offseason is not taking place, so we can't ink the contract now, but when the offseason starts in December it should be a quick and easy road to signing the extension because we've cleared out the heavy duty work."
Shelstinnia was initially signed only for one year because she had recorded a previous Feast Fest in her career, in 2006, but had gotten fired for punctuality failure. Since she has remedied this problem by showing up promptly and participating thoroughly in 2012 exhibitions, scouters announced in September they would renegotiate with Shelstinnia for a 2013-and-beyond extension.
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-Feast Fest chef Rina Shelstinnia, who signed on to Feast Fest in February with a one-year contract, has come to terms with Feast Fest for an extension.
Shelstinnia and scouters Tuesday agreed to a 3-year, $301,422 staggered deal, with Shelstinnia to receive $301,422 in 2013, $304,551 in 2014, and $306,823 in 2015. Shelstinnia will receive $299,533 in 2012 under the one-year deal.
"We have everything set up," Shelstinnia said. "The offseason is not taking place, so we can't ink the contract now, but when the offseason starts in December it should be a quick and easy road to signing the extension because we've cleared out the heavy duty work."
Shelstinnia was initially signed only for one year because she had recorded a previous Feast Fest in her career, in 2006, but had gotten fired for punctuality failure. Since she has remedied this problem by showing up promptly and participating thoroughly in 2012 exhibitions, scouters announced in September they would renegotiate with Shelstinnia for a 2013-and-beyond extension.
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A.C.S.G. Melling, Avi, Stephans, Ruscoso Complete Sweep of NCA's Best European
-New York
-It's a sweep!
Feast Fest chefs have swept the podiums out of the NCA's "Best European" honor. A "sweep" occurs when all five podium positions for an NCA awards are inhabited by Feast Fest chefs.
Alue-Charlote Ste-Germaine Melling won the award with 32% of the vote, tigress Lynn Avi was second with 11%, Andruw Stephan came in third with 7%, Tony Ruscoso, a newbie to Feast Fest this Thanksgiving, slotted in fourth at 5%, and Andruw's twin brother Jan finished fifth with 3.2% of the vote. There were 3,454 votes for one of the biggest trophies of the NCA Award Season, which runs from mid-October through mid-November of each year, and 114 separate chefs were nominated.
"It is a fantastic to hear of this sweep of an NCA award, especially such a prestigious one, for our chefs," Event Manager William Vanderbilt said, elated.
Feast Fest averages about one swept award per year. This is their first sweep of the 2012 NCA Awards Season.
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-It's a sweep!
Feast Fest chefs have swept the podiums out of the NCA's "Best European" honor. A "sweep" occurs when all five podium positions for an NCA awards are inhabited by Feast Fest chefs.
Alue-Charlote Ste-Germaine Melling won the award with 32% of the vote, tigress Lynn Avi was second with 11%, Andruw Stephan came in third with 7%, Tony Ruscoso, a newbie to Feast Fest this Thanksgiving, slotted in fourth at 5%, and Andruw's twin brother Jan finished fifth with 3.2% of the vote. There were 3,454 votes for one of the biggest trophies of the NCA Award Season, which runs from mid-October through mid-November of each year, and 114 separate chefs were nominated.
"It is a fantastic to hear of this sweep of an NCA award, especially such a prestigious one, for our chefs," Event Manager William Vanderbilt said, elated.
Feast Fest averages about one swept award per year. This is their first sweep of the 2012 NCA Awards Season.
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Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Chefs Sign Pact Warning of "Severe Backlash" and "A Stream of Demands" Should Dreim be Re-Signed
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-44 Feast Fest chefs have signed a pact with the avowed aim of preventing the currently in-progress rehiring of former Feast Fest chef Stephen Dreim.
The pact warns of a "severe backlash" and a "stream of demands for compensation" and possibly even "multiple resignations, threats of walk-away, and actual walk-away" should the controversy-mired Dreim be re-signed. Dreim announced Tuesday that he was considering a two-year, $764,000 deal that scouters had given to him earlier that day to look over, after he was silent on a one-year, $750,000 offer.
Dreim was found innocent of involvement of a scouter bribery scandal Oct. 18, but resigned mere hours before being exonerated, claiming his pride and ego had been badly bruised by the interrogations. Many FF chefs breathed a sigh of relief at his resignation, having viewed him as a conceited and haughty chef will little to contribute, and many were infuriated when Feast Fest announced plans to attempt to re-sign him before Thanksgiving.
That unhappiness reached a boiling point Tuesday as 44 of 65 chefs signed a pact to engrave their displeasure in stone, and hopefully to throw off a movement to rehire Dreim which was initially murky but which has gained significant momentum in the past few days. On Monday, one scouter said that he felt they were "days away" from reaching an agreement with Dreim. "That's when we knew we had to take action," said Daniel Cheveneux, a lawyer representing the 44 chefs. The five-page pact was written by Cheveneux and Feast Fest chefs Keith Wholehreh and Peter Dumas.
The pact was not signed by any of Feast Fest's seven "major" chefs--The Mason Duo, Jim McAllister, Lynn Avi, Joe Pasik, Jan Stephan, or Lisa Choi--for fear that doing so would cloud the air of impartiality they try to present because of being in the spotlight, regardless of how they may truly feel. The most notable names of those who did sign included Daniel Mettling, Alexei Aiber, Laelech Crellas, Aleck Monde, Andruw Stephan, Guilliame Jacquetaine, Ivan Peterman, Alue-Charlote Ste-Germaine Melling, Jane Jockell, Thenoo Law, Wholehreh, and Dumas. The most notable names, aside from the Big 7, who did not put their John Hancocks on the document included Janet Leaves, Jawroldy Jurrjens, Alan Rousswick, Ai Okoworth, or Lakeland Donavert, a close friend of Dreim's.
The statement attached to the pact alleged that Dreim had "threatened to have chefs fired or demoted" if they did not "paint anything but the most clean-cut, beautiful portraits of him" to executives, scouters, and the public. The statement also said, in part, "Mr. Dreim is a person who is obsessed with his own personal standing and with elevating and forwarding it, without any regard for his colleagues and with such a deep obsession with it that he is willing to go to almost any length to achieve it. For this reason, we feel that rehiring Dreim would deeply jeopardize the internal relations of Feast Fest chefs, that it would to an extreme degree polarize the currently strong and recently much improved relations between the chef body and scouters and executives, and that the action of bringing Dreim back to Feast Fest would be an unfair emotional and mental rollercoaster to foist upon the Feast Fest chef, especially when so many of them just two weeks ago breathed a huge collective sigh of relief upon learning of Mr. Dreim's resignation." To avoid this from happening, the statement suggested that the Scouting Department "immediately close the case involving Stephen Dreim [e.g., Scouting Department of Feast Fest Events, Case Number 1046, Involvement of Mr. Stephen Dreim, Personal Case Number 0003, Negotiation of Calendar Year 2012 Number 0101, Opened the 19th of October, Year Two Thousand and Twelve, 07:32 PDT] and to promptly disband all communication with Mr. Dreim."
Stefanie MacOneguew, leader of the team of scouters tasked with rehiring Dreim, called the pact "a huge play at the plate" by the Feast Fest chefs.
"This is an enormous statement," McOneguew said. "It's engraving in the recordbooks that this is a vital consideration to ponder when we move forward with negotiations with Mr. Dreim. Previously, we were merely observant of the chef body's attitude toward Mr. Dreim. Now, this is a legal statement proclaiming that swift and harsh action could be taken if the demands of the chef body are not put into serious and grave consideration." She added, "We need to ensure the total contentment of all sixty-five individuals comprising the chef body at Feast Fest. If rehiring Mr. Dreim will put into serious jeopardy that vital necessity, then we will need to either reapproach the stance we take in our negotiations or we will have to not negotiate with Mr. Dreim at all." McOneguew summed the situation for she and her scouters up nicely: "It's going to make it hard for us to sleep tonight."
However, while McOneguew remains committed to seeing both sides of the conflict and ensuring both are sated, her own superior, Head Scouter Jim Dall, speaking from Boston, called the pact "an egregious attempt and a terrible farce of a document." Dall said that "nothing listed in this alleged 'document' has any truth in fact." Dall acknowledged that the chefs were unhappy with the attempts to rehire Dreim, but he believes that the discontent comes from an entirely different source. "The chefs are not unhappy with Dreim himself. They are unhappy with the amount of money and the significant salary raise he is demanding. And we understand. He wants $200,000 more than he was slated to receive before he resigned. How could they not be angered about that?" However, Dall was swift to downplay the situation, saying that "if we can bring Stephen Dreim down to size and set up a viable agreement comparable to that which we had achieved with him before this ruckus presented itself, then the financial animosity surrounding Dreim will go away and he will be able to reintegrate himself into the chef body."
However, chefs quickly rebutted Dall's remarks. As Peter Dumas commented, "Steve Dreim has been a scourge, a negative influence, on our chefs' body for years now. He needs to finally get the message and hit the high road." He admitted that chefs were lax on reporting Dreim's insolence previously, due to the threats he would make. "I was scared of exposing the real Steve Dreim," Dumas said, "until today."
-44 Feast Fest chefs have signed a pact with the avowed aim of preventing the currently in-progress rehiring of former Feast Fest chef Stephen Dreim.
The pact warns of a "severe backlash" and a "stream of demands for compensation" and possibly even "multiple resignations, threats of walk-away, and actual walk-away" should the controversy-mired Dreim be re-signed. Dreim announced Tuesday that he was considering a two-year, $764,000 deal that scouters had given to him earlier that day to look over, after he was silent on a one-year, $750,000 offer.
Dreim was found innocent of involvement of a scouter bribery scandal Oct. 18, but resigned mere hours before being exonerated, claiming his pride and ego had been badly bruised by the interrogations. Many FF chefs breathed a sigh of relief at his resignation, having viewed him as a conceited and haughty chef will little to contribute, and many were infuriated when Feast Fest announced plans to attempt to re-sign him before Thanksgiving.
That unhappiness reached a boiling point Tuesday as 44 of 65 chefs signed a pact to engrave their displeasure in stone, and hopefully to throw off a movement to rehire Dreim which was initially murky but which has gained significant momentum in the past few days. On Monday, one scouter said that he felt they were "days away" from reaching an agreement with Dreim. "That's when we knew we had to take action," said Daniel Cheveneux, a lawyer representing the 44 chefs. The five-page pact was written by Cheveneux and Feast Fest chefs Keith Wholehreh and Peter Dumas.
The pact was not signed by any of Feast Fest's seven "major" chefs--The Mason Duo, Jim McAllister, Lynn Avi, Joe Pasik, Jan Stephan, or Lisa Choi--for fear that doing so would cloud the air of impartiality they try to present because of being in the spotlight, regardless of how they may truly feel. The most notable names of those who did sign included Daniel Mettling, Alexei Aiber, Laelech Crellas, Aleck Monde, Andruw Stephan, Guilliame Jacquetaine, Ivan Peterman, Alue-Charlote Ste-Germaine Melling, Jane Jockell, Thenoo Law, Wholehreh, and Dumas. The most notable names, aside from the Big 7, who did not put their John Hancocks on the document included Janet Leaves, Jawroldy Jurrjens, Alan Rousswick, Ai Okoworth, or Lakeland Donavert, a close friend of Dreim's.
The statement attached to the pact alleged that Dreim had "threatened to have chefs fired or demoted" if they did not "paint anything but the most clean-cut, beautiful portraits of him" to executives, scouters, and the public. The statement also said, in part, "Mr. Dreim is a person who is obsessed with his own personal standing and with elevating and forwarding it, without any regard for his colleagues and with such a deep obsession with it that he is willing to go to almost any length to achieve it. For this reason, we feel that rehiring Dreim would deeply jeopardize the internal relations of Feast Fest chefs, that it would to an extreme degree polarize the currently strong and recently much improved relations between the chef body and scouters and executives, and that the action of bringing Dreim back to Feast Fest would be an unfair emotional and mental rollercoaster to foist upon the Feast Fest chef, especially when so many of them just two weeks ago breathed a huge collective sigh of relief upon learning of Mr. Dreim's resignation." To avoid this from happening, the statement suggested that the Scouting Department "immediately close the case involving Stephen Dreim [e.g., Scouting Department of Feast Fest Events, Case Number 1046, Involvement of Mr. Stephen Dreim, Personal Case Number 0003, Negotiation of Calendar Year 2012 Number 0101, Opened the 19th of October, Year Two Thousand and Twelve, 07:32 PDT] and to promptly disband all communication with Mr. Dreim."
Stefanie MacOneguew, leader of the team of scouters tasked with rehiring Dreim, called the pact "a huge play at the plate" by the Feast Fest chefs.
"This is an enormous statement," McOneguew said. "It's engraving in the recordbooks that this is a vital consideration to ponder when we move forward with negotiations with Mr. Dreim. Previously, we were merely observant of the chef body's attitude toward Mr. Dreim. Now, this is a legal statement proclaiming that swift and harsh action could be taken if the demands of the chef body are not put into serious and grave consideration." She added, "We need to ensure the total contentment of all sixty-five individuals comprising the chef body at Feast Fest. If rehiring Mr. Dreim will put into serious jeopardy that vital necessity, then we will need to either reapproach the stance we take in our negotiations or we will have to not negotiate with Mr. Dreim at all." McOneguew summed the situation for she and her scouters up nicely: "It's going to make it hard for us to sleep tonight."
However, while McOneguew remains committed to seeing both sides of the conflict and ensuring both are sated, her own superior, Head Scouter Jim Dall, speaking from Boston, called the pact "an egregious attempt and a terrible farce of a document." Dall said that "nothing listed in this alleged 'document' has any truth in fact." Dall acknowledged that the chefs were unhappy with the attempts to rehire Dreim, but he believes that the discontent comes from an entirely different source. "The chefs are not unhappy with Dreim himself. They are unhappy with the amount of money and the significant salary raise he is demanding. And we understand. He wants $200,000 more than he was slated to receive before he resigned. How could they not be angered about that?" However, Dall was swift to downplay the situation, saying that "if we can bring Stephen Dreim down to size and set up a viable agreement comparable to that which we had achieved with him before this ruckus presented itself, then the financial animosity surrounding Dreim will go away and he will be able to reintegrate himself into the chef body."
However, chefs quickly rebutted Dall's remarks. As Peter Dumas commented, "Steve Dreim has been a scourge, a negative influence, on our chefs' body for years now. He needs to finally get the message and hit the high road." He admitted that chefs were lax on reporting Dreim's insolence previously, due to the threats he would make. "I was scared of exposing the real Steve Dreim," Dumas said, "until today."
Dreim Says He'll "Contemplate" $764K, 2-Year Deal
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-After a $750,000, 1-year deal received no response from the embattled former chef Stephen Dreim, Tuesday morning Scouter Stefanie McOneguew and her team offered up a $764,000, 2-year deal instead, which Dreim promised to "contemplate."
After the $750K offer came and went without any word, on Monday night Dreim released a statement saying he wanted an offer that would have "at least $760,000" and which would be a multiyear deal, for three years at the least. FF scouters reached across the aisle on the one issue, but Dreim's reputation is on such rocky ground that Feast Fest wants to just patch up things for this Thanksgiving and go into in-depth negotiation in an offseason. This had led to the one-year only provision of the earlier offer, and made it such that scouters were unwilling to add more than one additional year to the revised offer, making for a $764K, 2-year deal. Dreim also wanted the offer to be staggered; Feast Fest said no to that.
"It's the best we can do for now," McOneguew said. "We can't give him everything he asks for. At this point, he might as well ask for a magical flying unicorn and it wouldn't be much more nonsensical than what he's demanding now. If Dreim wants to be rehired, he needs to realize that he has to meet in the middle someplace."
Dreim released a brief, emotionless five-word statement Tuesday: "I will contemplate this offer."
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-After a $750,000, 1-year deal received no response from the embattled former chef Stephen Dreim, Tuesday morning Scouter Stefanie McOneguew and her team offered up a $764,000, 2-year deal instead, which Dreim promised to "contemplate."
After the $750K offer came and went without any word, on Monday night Dreim released a statement saying he wanted an offer that would have "at least $760,000" and which would be a multiyear deal, for three years at the least. FF scouters reached across the aisle on the one issue, but Dreim's reputation is on such rocky ground that Feast Fest wants to just patch up things for this Thanksgiving and go into in-depth negotiation in an offseason. This had led to the one-year only provision of the earlier offer, and made it such that scouters were unwilling to add more than one additional year to the revised offer, making for a $764K, 2-year deal. Dreim also wanted the offer to be staggered; Feast Fest said no to that.
"It's the best we can do for now," McOneguew said. "We can't give him everything he asks for. At this point, he might as well ask for a magical flying unicorn and it wouldn't be much more nonsensical than what he's demanding now. If Dreim wants to be rehired, he needs to realize that he has to meet in the middle someplace."
Dreim released a brief, emotionless five-word statement Tuesday: "I will contemplate this offer."
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Alakishi to Resign
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-2012 will be the last Feast Fest for Kiromi Alakishi, Feast fest was saddened to announce late Monday.
The Japanese master Alakishi will be leaving the event due to contractual disagreements and the fact that Alakishi's Feast Fest responsibilities "have been having adverse effects" on the running of his two culinary establishments, one in Osaka, and one in New York City. Alakishi said he was "still loving but growing exhausted with" the fast-paced schedule for Feast Fest chefs, and said he would leave if negotiations didn't pan out for a 2013-and-beyond return. Alakishi signed a $376,453 staggered three-year contract in 2010. He makes $394,552 this year. The contract expires January 4, 2013, the third anniversary of when it was originally signed. Alakishi said Monday he would not come back to the bargaining table or try to respark negotiations with Feast Fest come January 5th.
"We will miss Kiromi deeply. He was a phenomenal contribution to our event, and any chef who is a part of it will tell you that," so said Head Scouter Jim Dall, speaking from Houston, Tex.
-2012 will be the last Feast Fest for Kiromi Alakishi, Feast fest was saddened to announce late Monday.
The Japanese master Alakishi will be leaving the event due to contractual disagreements and the fact that Alakishi's Feast Fest responsibilities "have been having adverse effects" on the running of his two culinary establishments, one in Osaka, and one in New York City. Alakishi said he was "still loving but growing exhausted with" the fast-paced schedule for Feast Fest chefs, and said he would leave if negotiations didn't pan out for a 2013-and-beyond return. Alakishi signed a $376,453 staggered three-year contract in 2010. He makes $394,552 this year. The contract expires January 4, 2013, the third anniversary of when it was originally signed. Alakishi said Monday he would not come back to the bargaining table or try to respark negotiations with Feast Fest come January 5th.
"We will miss Kiromi deeply. He was a phenomenal contribution to our event, and any chef who is a part of it will tell you that," so said Head Scouter Jim Dall, speaking from Houston, Tex.
Choi Wins NCA's Most Fiery (With a Pan)
-New York
-Well, who'dja think was going to win it?
FFer Lisa Choi continued her absolute and total domination of the NCA's Most Fiery (With a Pan) award Tuesday, winning it for her eighth time. Choi has now won in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. And, fellow FF chef Lynn Avi, also noted for her "flare-ish" qualities, took home this honor in 2006 and 2008, meaning nobody other than Choi or Avi has won the Most Fiery trophy since 2002, a decade ago. Oh, by the way, Avi was also second in this year's vote.
Choi swept away the competition as always, and by an even bigger margin this year. In 2011, Choi had 73% of the vote, and Avi was second with 6%; this year, Choi washed over her fellow nominees with 86% of respondents marking her as the best chef with fiery and flaming foods in the NCA. It's these superior qualities of Choi's that have her in line for a potential MVC at Feast Fest come Nov. 22; she's been simply monstrous (in a good way, of course!) at the exhibitions this year, and hasn't received an MVC since 2004, making her all but due.
"Very excited to hear about winning MFWAP yet again," Choi wrote in an email late Monday. "There are so many other great culinary paragons deserving of this award, and the fact that this is the eighth time I have been honored with it makes me extremely grateful to the NCA for their consistent recognition of my culinary qualities." And, she had a message to the NCA as well. "Really! Give it to somebody else. They deserve it, and, besides, I don't even know how on my shelf I'm going to make room for this one!"
-Well, who'dja think was going to win it?
FFer Lisa Choi continued her absolute and total domination of the NCA's Most Fiery (With a Pan) award Tuesday, winning it for her eighth time. Choi has now won in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. And, fellow FF chef Lynn Avi, also noted for her "flare-ish" qualities, took home this honor in 2006 and 2008, meaning nobody other than Choi or Avi has won the Most Fiery trophy since 2002, a decade ago. Oh, by the way, Avi was also second in this year's vote.
Choi swept away the competition as always, and by an even bigger margin this year. In 2011, Choi had 73% of the vote, and Avi was second with 6%; this year, Choi washed over her fellow nominees with 86% of respondents marking her as the best chef with fiery and flaming foods in the NCA. It's these superior qualities of Choi's that have her in line for a potential MVC at Feast Fest come Nov. 22; she's been simply monstrous (in a good way, of course!) at the exhibitions this year, and hasn't received an MVC since 2004, making her all but due.
"Very excited to hear about winning MFWAP yet again," Choi wrote in an email late Monday. "There are so many other great culinary paragons deserving of this award, and the fact that this is the eighth time I have been honored with it makes me extremely grateful to the NCA for their consistent recognition of my culinary qualities." And, she had a message to the NCA as well. "Really! Give it to somebody else. They deserve it, and, besides, I don't even know how on my shelf I'm going to make room for this one!"
Hurricane Sandy: Impacts on Feast Fest Are Lesser Than Expected: Pasik's Haul, Vandy-Dall-Ayeiy's Schedule to Remain Intact Tuesday
-Boston
-William Vanderbilt, Jim Dall, and Arthur Ayeiy were forced to strike Washington and Philadelphia from their itinerary of an 11-day, 30-city world tour Monday, courtesy of the fury of Hurricane Sandy. However, their Tuesday schedule, previously jeopardized, will remain intact, Vanderbilt announced late Monday, and Feast Fest chef's famed Halloween Haul cooking event, earlier slated to be cancelled to delayed, will take place on its originally scheduled Tuesday date, Pasik said.
"I think we really dodged a bullet here. I've been checking things around the Back Bay here and I think by this time tomorrow we'll be back to normal," Pasik said, speaking from Boston.
Vanderbilt, Dall, and Ayeiy scrubbed Philadelphia and Washington from Monday's agenda, maintaining a Chicago stop and rescheduling a Houston stop from Nov. 4 to Monday, for purposes of filling out the day. Tuesday's schedule, for Toronto, Montrèal, and Boston, where the threesome will attend Pasik's "Haul," was in limbo earlier Monday but will now remain intact. The three may add a twelfth day to their eleven day global recruiting and contract negotiation trek to make up for the lost capital and City of Brotherly Love stops.
Lynn Avi, speaking from Florida, said that flooding was not threatening and that damage was minimal in her Midtown Manhattan eatery. Johnny Stevenson, an FF chef based in Latrobe, Pa., said power went out and service stopped at his cafe, but otherwise there were no adverse effects. Jon Chu of Washington had less reassuring reports: high winds had caused a signpost to impale a poorly boarded window. Chi closed his restaurant early morning Monday, after breakfast service, just in front of Sandy.
"It's a huge storm," Stevenson said. "But I think, in a microcosmical sense, the effects this hurricane has on Feast Fest have been, thankfully, less so than what we anticipated."
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-William Vanderbilt, Jim Dall, and Arthur Ayeiy were forced to strike Washington and Philadelphia from their itinerary of an 11-day, 30-city world tour Monday, courtesy of the fury of Hurricane Sandy. However, their Tuesday schedule, previously jeopardized, will remain intact, Vanderbilt announced late Monday, and Feast Fest chef's famed Halloween Haul cooking event, earlier slated to be cancelled to delayed, will take place on its originally scheduled Tuesday date, Pasik said.
"I think we really dodged a bullet here. I've been checking things around the Back Bay here and I think by this time tomorrow we'll be back to normal," Pasik said, speaking from Boston.
Vanderbilt, Dall, and Ayeiy scrubbed Philadelphia and Washington from Monday's agenda, maintaining a Chicago stop and rescheduling a Houston stop from Nov. 4 to Monday, for purposes of filling out the day. Tuesday's schedule, for Toronto, Montrèal, and Boston, where the threesome will attend Pasik's "Haul," was in limbo earlier Monday but will now remain intact. The three may add a twelfth day to their eleven day global recruiting and contract negotiation trek to make up for the lost capital and City of Brotherly Love stops.
Lynn Avi, speaking from Florida, said that flooding was not threatening and that damage was minimal in her Midtown Manhattan eatery. Johnny Stevenson, an FF chef based in Latrobe, Pa., said power went out and service stopped at his cafe, but otherwise there were no adverse effects. Jon Chu of Washington had less reassuring reports: high winds had caused a signpost to impale a poorly boarded window. Chi closed his restaurant early morning Monday, after breakfast service, just in front of Sandy.
"It's a huge storm," Stevenson said. "But I think, in a microcosmical sense, the effects this hurricane has on Feast Fest have been, thankfully, less so than what we anticipated."
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Monday, October 29, 2012
Florida Feast Sees Larger Turnout Thanks to FF Guest Chefs
-Weston, Fla.
-The struggling little culinary festival was a former powerhouse that had fallen hard on unfortunate economic times.
The annual Florida Feast in Weston, Fla. used to draw attendance in the thousands, all coming to sample gourmet foods from over one hundred countries. But economic cutbacks saddled the Labor Day weekend event, such that in 2011, a mere 700 people per day visited. "We thought we'd be shuttering extremely soon," said Micah Bulfoiszka, an event manager. Then came an intern.
As in, an intern who mistakenly forgot to renew the tented event's lease of a parking lot, delaying it from its usual date in 2012--and opening it up to a drop in from some of Feast Fest's top culinary masters.
The lease ballyhoo caused the three-day event to be moved to Oct. 27-29, and, with the Feast Fest chefs mere miles away in Punta Gorda for their final exhibition before Thanksgiving, well, a few decided to drop by.
Jim McAllister, Jan Stephan, Lynn Avi, Daniel Mettling, and Joe Pasik dropped in on Monday. Word leaked of their appearance, and attendance swelled to 5,000, the event's best in seven years. And the quintuple didn't ask any money of the event for appearing; they were just happy to help boost the faltering annual bash. "We need more events like this," McAllister said. "We need to keep them thriving, and we're glad we are able to help this one in any way."
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-The struggling little culinary festival was a former powerhouse that had fallen hard on unfortunate economic times.
The annual Florida Feast in Weston, Fla. used to draw attendance in the thousands, all coming to sample gourmet foods from over one hundred countries. But economic cutbacks saddled the Labor Day weekend event, such that in 2011, a mere 700 people per day visited. "We thought we'd be shuttering extremely soon," said Micah Bulfoiszka, an event manager. Then came an intern.
As in, an intern who mistakenly forgot to renew the tented event's lease of a parking lot, delaying it from its usual date in 2012--and opening it up to a drop in from some of Feast Fest's top culinary masters.
The lease ballyhoo caused the three-day event to be moved to Oct. 27-29, and, with the Feast Fest chefs mere miles away in Punta Gorda for their final exhibition before Thanksgiving, well, a few decided to drop by.
Jim McAllister, Jan Stephan, Lynn Avi, Daniel Mettling, and Joe Pasik dropped in on Monday. Word leaked of their appearance, and attendance swelled to 5,000, the event's best in seven years. And the quintuple didn't ask any money of the event for appearing; they were just happy to help boost the faltering annual bash. "We need more events like this," McAllister said. "We need to keep them thriving, and we're glad we are able to help this one in any way."
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Sunday, October 28, 2012
Scouters Put Up $750K Deal for Dreim
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Scouters have put up $750,000 in the latest contract deal for the controversy-mired chef Stephen Dreim in a vain and desperate attempt to rehire the haughty culinary master who may have alienated too many of his fellow chefs to be welcomed back warmly.
Dreim set an offer minimum of $750,000 Thursday, and it took all weekend long for Feast Fest to determine whether they wished to respond or to simply drop the matter.
Very late Sunday, following extensive deliberation, scouters decided to offer up a contract for exactly that amount. Never mind it's $197,000 more than he was originally scheduled to make, and never mind that in a recent poll 81% of chefs viewed Dreim negatively; the scouters seem intent on snaring him back.
The deal, however, is only for one year, so that scouters and Dreim could revisit the situation in the offseason. "We're just doing this to patch up the situation for this Thanksgiving," an unnamed scouter said.
Dreim has yet to comment.
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-Scouters have put up $750,000 in the latest contract deal for the controversy-mired chef Stephen Dreim in a vain and desperate attempt to rehire the haughty culinary master who may have alienated too many of his fellow chefs to be welcomed back warmly.
Dreim set an offer minimum of $750,000 Thursday, and it took all weekend long for Feast Fest to determine whether they wished to respond or to simply drop the matter.
Very late Sunday, following extensive deliberation, scouters decided to offer up a contract for exactly that amount. Never mind it's $197,000 more than he was originally scheduled to make, and never mind that in a recent poll 81% of chefs viewed Dreim negatively; the scouters seem intent on snaring him back.
The deal, however, is only for one year, so that scouters and Dreim could revisit the situation in the offseason. "We're just doing this to patch up the situation for this Thanksgiving," an unnamed scouter said.
Dreim has yet to comment.
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Avi Wins NCA's Most Determined
-New York
-Lynn Avi has won her second NCA's Most Determined honor, an NCA official who did not give her game because she claimed to be unauthorized to announce award winners, said very late Sunday.
Avi won this trophy in 2008, and Jim McAllister took it home in 2009 and 2011.
Speaking of McAllister, he placed second in voting, with 14% of the vote, to Avi's 16%. "I feel absolutely thrilled to be receiving 'Most Determined' yet again," she said via a web chat.
Jan Stephan placed eleventh in the survey, and Lisa Choi placed twenty-second.
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-Lynn Avi has won her second NCA's Most Determined honor, an NCA official who did not give her game because she claimed to be unauthorized to announce award winners, said very late Sunday.
Avi won this trophy in 2008, and Jim McAllister took it home in 2009 and 2011.
Speaking of McAllister, he placed second in voting, with 14% of the vote, to Avi's 16%. "I feel absolutely thrilled to be receiving 'Most Determined' yet again," she said via a web chat.
Jan Stephan placed eleventh in the survey, and Lisa Choi placed twenty-second.
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98.4 at Edelyn
-Punta Gorda, Fla.
-It's 98.4 here in South Florida.
That's 0.4 less than the mark achieved at the final exhibition before Thanksgiving last year, but it leaves the chefs feeling plenty confident.
"Not precisely what we wanted," said Jim McAllister, a furrowing frown breaking splitsecondly through his smile. "We feel we're in a good place, but we'll have lots of ground to cover come Nov. 22...more so than last year."
In 2011, Feast Fest scored 98.8 at the Edelyn exhibition and then 99.0 on Thanksgiving.
"We want to top that 99," McAllister said.
Lisa Choi swept home the Most Valuable Chef award; she also got the MVC at the second Edelyn contest in 2011. "A real rocking performance we had here today," Choi said, elated and hoisting her gold-plated MVC trophy. "I'm excited."
William Vanderbilt, Jim Dall, and Arthur Ayeiy, visiting Punta Gorda and watching the exhibition as a stop on their 10-day, 31-city tour, said through a spokesperson that it was "astounding to see the beauty of the collaborative effort put forth by our chefs here in this exhibition to attain a spectacular 98.4 rating."
The points leaderboard here at Edelyn:
Choi - 41 & MVC
McAllister - 41
Avi - 38
Wholehreh - 37
Jahswheich - 34
Pasik - 34
J. Stephan - 33
Pierce-Mulleone - 31
Mettling - 31
Law - 29
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-It's 98.4 here in South Florida.
That's 0.4 less than the mark achieved at the final exhibition before Thanksgiving last year, but it leaves the chefs feeling plenty confident.
"Not precisely what we wanted," said Jim McAllister, a furrowing frown breaking splitsecondly through his smile. "We feel we're in a good place, but we'll have lots of ground to cover come Nov. 22...more so than last year."
In 2011, Feast Fest scored 98.8 at the Edelyn exhibition and then 99.0 on Thanksgiving.
"We want to top that 99," McAllister said.
Lisa Choi swept home the Most Valuable Chef award; she also got the MVC at the second Edelyn contest in 2011. "A real rocking performance we had here today," Choi said, elated and hoisting her gold-plated MVC trophy. "I'm excited."
William Vanderbilt, Jim Dall, and Arthur Ayeiy, visiting Punta Gorda and watching the exhibition as a stop on their 10-day, 31-city tour, said through a spokesperson that it was "astounding to see the beauty of the collaborative effort put forth by our chefs here in this exhibition to attain a spectacular 98.4 rating."
The points leaderboard here at Edelyn:
Choi - 41 & MVC
McAllister - 41
Avi - 38
Wholehreh - 37
Jahswheich - 34
Pasik - 34
J. Stephan - 33
Pierce-Mulleone - 31
Mettling - 31
Law - 29
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DigIn Bell Rings Prematurely at Edelyn
-Punta Gorda, Ca.
-Cooking has concluded here at Edelyn Cooking Arena in Punta Gorda, Fla., with a projected score of 97.0, though that could vary wildly once the critics actually chow down on the food. It looks a tad bleak here, though, as last year, the chefs rammed down 98.8 here at Edelyn.
Jim McAllister and Lisa Choi are tied at the top of the leaderboard with 41 points each.
"Feel positive about our outcome today, a bit worried about how the score will turn out. If we get something comparatively low, it might make it seem as if we have a higher mountain to scale on Nov. 22," said McAllister. "So we'll see."
Choi felt "exceedingly confident" about how the score would come out, and Joe Pasik labeled himself as "relieved, ebullient, but a tad concerned scorewise."
The score announcement is scheduled for approximately 8 p.m. E/5 p.m. P.
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-Cooking has concluded here at Edelyn Cooking Arena in Punta Gorda, Fla., with a projected score of 97.0, though that could vary wildly once the critics actually chow down on the food. It looks a tad bleak here, though, as last year, the chefs rammed down 98.8 here at Edelyn.
Jim McAllister and Lisa Choi are tied at the top of the leaderboard with 41 points each.
"Feel positive about our outcome today, a bit worried about how the score will turn out. If we get something comparatively low, it might make it seem as if we have a higher mountain to scale on Nov. 22," said McAllister. "So we'll see."
Choi felt "exceedingly confident" about how the score would come out, and Joe Pasik labeled himself as "relieved, ebullient, but a tad concerned scorewise."
The score announcement is scheduled for approximately 8 p.m. E/5 p.m. P.
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After 3 Hours, 96.8
-Punta Gorda, Fla.
-A large spike in scoring has brought the projected here at Edelyn to 96.8 with a half hour remaining.
Lisa Choi has overtaken Jim McAllister in points, with 39 to Jimmy's 37.
Third in points is Lynn Avi (33).
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-A large spike in scoring has brought the projected here at Edelyn to 96.8 with a half hour remaining.
Lisa Choi has overtaken Jim McAllister in points, with 39 to Jimmy's 37.
Third in points is Lynn Avi (33).
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After 2 1/2 Hours, 95.7
-Punta Gorda, Fla.
-It's 95.7 here after 2 1/2 hours, meaning the FFers still have a smidgen of work to do to get the score here at Edelyn up to last year's standards, when they scored a 98.9.
Jim McAllister leads with 35 points; Lisa Choi is second with 33.
Next update: 7E/4P
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-It's 95.7 here after 2 1/2 hours, meaning the FFers still have a smidgen of work to do to get the score here at Edelyn up to last year's standards, when they scored a 98.9.
Jim McAllister leads with 35 points; Lisa Choi is second with 33.
Next update: 7E/4P
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After an Hour, 88.3
-Punta Gorda, Fla.
-After one hour of cooking here in Punta Gorda, Jim McAllister continues to lead in points with 17, with Lisa Choi second with 16.
The score, 88.3, is rapidly rising. A few snags, such as a burned turkey and spilled stuffing, have held the score at an hour back a little bit, but those little incidents were mostly in the first twenty to thirty minutes, and it now seems that the chefs have regrouped and recovered.
"Had a couple mishaps," said Thenoø Law. "Got to put 'em behind us and rocket on. 'Sall we can do."
Next update: 6E/3P
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-After one hour of cooking here in Punta Gorda, Jim McAllister continues to lead in points with 17, with Lisa Choi second with 16.
The score, 88.3, is rapidly rising. A few snags, such as a burned turkey and spilled stuffing, have held the score at an hour back a little bit, but those little incidents were mostly in the first twenty to thirty minutes, and it now seems that the chefs have regrouped and recovered.
"Had a couple mishaps," said Thenoø Law. "Got to put 'em behind us and rocket on. 'Sall we can do."
Next update: 6E/3P
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Cooking at Edelyn
-Punta Gorda, Fla.
-We're underway! The cooking portion bell rang at 3:54 E/12:54 P, and we're now cookin' at Edelyn!
Jim McAllister has had a strong start, as usual, already leading in points.
Next update: 5E/2P
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-We're underway! The cooking portion bell rang at 3:54 E/12:54 P, and we're now cookin' at Edelyn!
Jim McAllister has had a strong start, as usual, already leading in points.
Next update: 5E/2P
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Minutes Away at Edelyn
-Punta Gorda, Fla.
-We're now mere minutes away from the start if the official cooking portion here in Punta Gorda's Edelyn Cooking Arena. The official start time was pushed forward from 4pmE/1pmP to 3:50pmE/12:50pmP. All introductions and pre-ceremonies have concluded, so we are now just waiting for the bell to sound.
The 3 1/2-hour exhibition has a scheduled DigIn time of 7:30pmE/4:30pmP. So far, the stands here at Edelyn look good and full.
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-We're now mere minutes away from the start if the official cooking portion here in Punta Gorda's Edelyn Cooking Arena. The official start time was pushed forward from 4pmE/1pmP to 3:50pmE/12:50pmP. All introductions and pre-ceremonies have concluded, so we are now just waiting for the bell to sound.
The 3 1/2-hour exhibition has a scheduled DigIn time of 7:30pmE/4:30pmP. So far, the stands here at Edelyn look good and full.
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Final List for Edelyn Released
-Punta Gorda, Fla.
-The final list has been released for the exhibition here in Punta Gorda, which will start in about forty minutes.
The Mason Duo will again not be participating due to prior commitments--to make up for the fact that they will have missed the last two exhibitions, they have announced plans to schedule an unofficial mock exhibition with some of the Feast Fest chefs in Los Angeles "sometime in early November." Stephen Dreim also will not participate due to his continually mired negotiations with Feast Fest scouters.
We know now the names of five other chefs who will sit out the exhibition:
Cook
Okoworth
Allworth
Jurrjens
Anders
Jawroldy Jurrjens, who missed Monday's Morro Bay exhibition, will also miss this one as he continues to recover from a bout of mononucleosis.
Patti Allworth is also too sick to attend, and Peter Cook is staying behind to board up his Maryland home and establishment for the impending Hurricane Sandy.
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-The final list has been released for the exhibition here in Punta Gorda, which will start in about forty minutes.
The Mason Duo will again not be participating due to prior commitments--to make up for the fact that they will have missed the last two exhibitions, they have announced plans to schedule an unofficial mock exhibition with some of the Feast Fest chefs in Los Angeles "sometime in early November." Stephen Dreim also will not participate due to his continually mired negotiations with Feast Fest scouters.
We know now the names of five other chefs who will sit out the exhibition:
Cook
Okoworth
Allworth
Jurrjens
Anders
Jawroldy Jurrjens, who missed Monday's Morro Bay exhibition, will also miss this one as he continues to recover from a bout of mononucleosis.
Patti Allworth is also too sick to attend, and Peter Cook is staying behind to board up his Maryland home and establishment for the impending Hurricane Sandy.
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Vanderbilt-Dall-Ayeiy Arrive For Edelyn Exhibition
-Punta Gorda, CA
-The William Vanderbilt-Jim Dall-Arthur Ayeiy threesome has arrived here in Punta Gorda to take a break from their week-and-a-half-long, whirlwind recruiting and contract negotiation tour to settle back, relax, and watch the final Feast Fest exhibition.
"I'm extremely pumped for this final exhibition, one that will set the stage for the performance the chefs ram down on Thanksgiving," Vanderbilt said.
The three could be seen mingling on the floor with chefs pre-exhibition Sunday, and seemed to receive a very warm reception. Some worried about the reception Dall would receive; the Head Scouter is sometimes on iffy terms with chefs, and, during the last exhibition he attended, at Notes in April, chef Patrick Kermell told him to "buzz off" when he "pestered" him on the floor mere minutes before the start of the exhibition.
"That was a mistake," Dall admits now. "You can't be on the floor too close to the start bell, it can shake the chefs up, and I was that time."
The exhibition starts at 4 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Pacific.
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-The William Vanderbilt-Jim Dall-Arthur Ayeiy threesome has arrived here in Punta Gorda to take a break from their week-and-a-half-long, whirlwind recruiting and contract negotiation tour to settle back, relax, and watch the final Feast Fest exhibition.
"I'm extremely pumped for this final exhibition, one that will set the stage for the performance the chefs ram down on Thanksgiving," Vanderbilt said.
The three could be seen mingling on the floor with chefs pre-exhibition Sunday, and seemed to receive a very warm reception. Some worried about the reception Dall would receive; the Head Scouter is sometimes on iffy terms with chefs, and, during the last exhibition he attended, at Notes in April, chef Patrick Kermell told him to "buzz off" when he "pestered" him on the floor mere minutes before the start of the exhibition.
"That was a mistake," Dall admits now. "You can't be on the floor too close to the start bell, it can shake the chefs up, and I was that time."
The exhibition starts at 4 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Pacific.
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Edelyn Seems A Big Friend to McAllister, Choi, Mettling
-Punta Gorda, Fla.
-As we approach the start bell for the final exhibition at Edelyn Cooking Arena here in Punta Gorda, it is intriguing to note the recent surges that three big name chefs have seen here.
Jim McAllister, Lisa Choi, and Daniel Settling never seem to flail here at Edelyn. McAllister's been in all but one exhibition here at Edelyn in the eleven years it's been used as an exhibitional site. Of 17 appearances here in this pyramidic cooking arena, he has placed in the top three in NCA points all but once and in the top two 14 times. He's been first in points 7 times at Edelyn and has won the Edelyn MVC five times. Choi has also benefited at Edelyn. Of 15 appearances, she's been in the top three 11 times and also has five MVCs from Punta Gorda. And Daniel Mettling, while a relatively new Feast Fest chef compared to McAllister and Choi, has had Edelyn been extremely kind to him in his five exhibitions here. He's been in the top three in points here thrice, and led in points and won the MVC here at Edelyn back in January.
Watch for these three Feast Fest chefs to have another big impact on the exhibition here today!
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-As we approach the start bell for the final exhibition at Edelyn Cooking Arena here in Punta Gorda, it is intriguing to note the recent surges that three big name chefs have seen here.
Jim McAllister, Lisa Choi, and Daniel Settling never seem to flail here at Edelyn. McAllister's been in all but one exhibition here at Edelyn in the eleven years it's been used as an exhibitional site. Of 17 appearances here in this pyramidic cooking arena, he has placed in the top three in NCA points all but once and in the top two 14 times. He's been first in points 7 times at Edelyn and has won the Edelyn MVC five times. Choi has also benefited at Edelyn. Of 15 appearances, she's been in the top three 11 times and also has five MVCs from Punta Gorda. And Daniel Mettling, while a relatively new Feast Fest chef compared to McAllister and Choi, has had Edelyn been extremely kind to him in his five exhibitions here. He's been in the top three in points here thrice, and led in points and won the MVC here at Edelyn back in January.
Watch for these three Feast Fest chefs to have another big impact on the exhibition here today!
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Saturday, October 27, 2012
Pasik, Avi, Stevenson, Aiber, Other FFers Board Up for Sandy
-Boston, MA
-Feast Fest's large concentration of chefs located up and down the Eastern Seaboard is boarding up and readying to close up shop for their restaurants as Hurricane Sandy threatens to pummel the region.
The powerful cyclone is projected to make landfall Tuesday along the Delaware and New Jersey coasts and then travel westward into Pennsylvania. New York City would certainly get a big, if not direct, hit from Sandy, and Boston will most likely see adverse effects from the 800-mile-wide hurricane as well.
Alexei Aiber and Johnny Stevenson, both owners of eateries in Trenton, N.J. and Latrobe, Pa., respectively, were seen putting planks of wood across their establishments and closing Friday. Lynn Avi's midtown Manhattan will close Sunday night, once the weekend rush is over. The storm will begin coming into the area on Sunday and Monday, with the worst effects scheduled for Tuesday.
Here in Boston, Joe Pasik was wavering about what action to take when asked about his restaurant No. He originally said that No would be closed and his annual Halloween Haul feast cancelled. Now that Sandy is projected merely to graze Boston, instead of plowing headfirst into it as was expected yesterday, Pasik has some misgivings about cancelling the extremely popular annual event, especially since William Vanderbilt, Jim Dall, and Arthur Ayeiy are scheduled to be in attendance as part of their 11-day, 30-city world tour on which they are currently embarking.
But, that tour could be rerouted as well. The threesome is supposed to stop in Washington, Philly, and Chicago on Monday and in Toronto, Montreal, and Boston on Tuesday, but that itinerary could be mangled if the storm interferes.
-Feast Fest's large concentration of chefs located up and down the Eastern Seaboard is boarding up and readying to close up shop for their restaurants as Hurricane Sandy threatens to pummel the region.
The powerful cyclone is projected to make landfall Tuesday along the Delaware and New Jersey coasts and then travel westward into Pennsylvania. New York City would certainly get a big, if not direct, hit from Sandy, and Boston will most likely see adverse effects from the 800-mile-wide hurricane as well.
Alexei Aiber and Johnny Stevenson, both owners of eateries in Trenton, N.J. and Latrobe, Pa., respectively, were seen putting planks of wood across their establishments and closing Friday. Lynn Avi's midtown Manhattan will close Sunday night, once the weekend rush is over. The storm will begin coming into the area on Sunday and Monday, with the worst effects scheduled for Tuesday.
Here in Boston, Joe Pasik was wavering about what action to take when asked about his restaurant No. He originally said that No would be closed and his annual Halloween Haul feast cancelled. Now that Sandy is projected merely to graze Boston, instead of plowing headfirst into it as was expected yesterday, Pasik has some misgivings about cancelling the extremely popular annual event, especially since William Vanderbilt, Jim Dall, and Arthur Ayeiy are scheduled to be in attendance as part of their 11-day, 30-city world tour on which they are currently embarking.
But, that tour could be rerouted as well. The threesome is supposed to stop in Washington, Philly, and Chicago on Monday and in Toronto, Montreal, and Boston on Tuesday, but that itinerary could be mangled if the storm interferes.
WiFF: The Week in Feast Fest: Saturday, October 27, 2012 - Friday, November 2, 2012
Important Feast Fest dates this week:
Saturday, 10/27 - No unique activities scheduled.
Sunday, 10/28 - The final Feast Fest exhibition before the real thing will begin at 4 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Pacific at Edelyn Cooking Arena in Punta Gorda, Fla., with an expected DigIn time of 7:30 p.m. Eastern/4:30 p.m. Pacific. The score of this last exhibition is usually a reliable predictor of the score the FF chefs drive home on Thanksgiving, so it'd better be a high one this year!
Monday, 10/29 - Jim McAllister, Ivan Peterman, and Jan Stephan are guest chefs at the Floridian Feast, Weston, Fla. This event will be graced by Feast Fest chefs for the first time due to its proximity both on the map and the calendar to the final exhibition in Punta Gorda the day before.
Tuesday, 10/30 - Joe Pasik is scheduled to host his annual Halloween Haul cooking event at his Boston, Mass. restaurant with William Vanderbilt, Jim Dall, and Arthur Ayeiy in attendance, but with Hurricane Sandy scheduled to pummel the region on this day, these plans are likely to be cancelled or rescheduled.
Wednesday, 10/31 - *Happy Halloween!* Vanderbilt, Dall, and Ayeiy will be in Paris to meet with Claudien Ainenl to sort out contractual disagreements.
Thursday, 11/1 - No unique activities scheduled.
Friday, 11/2 - No unique activities scheduled.
Birthdays!
10/30 - Alga Ross (scouter)
11/2 - Jarolde James (chef), Alue-Charlote Ste-Germaine Melling (chef)
Saturday, 10/27 - No unique activities scheduled.
Sunday, 10/28 - The final Feast Fest exhibition before the real thing will begin at 4 p.m. Eastern/1 p.m. Pacific at Edelyn Cooking Arena in Punta Gorda, Fla., with an expected DigIn time of 7:30 p.m. Eastern/4:30 p.m. Pacific. The score of this last exhibition is usually a reliable predictor of the score the FF chefs drive home on Thanksgiving, so it'd better be a high one this year!
Monday, 10/29 - Jim McAllister, Ivan Peterman, and Jan Stephan are guest chefs at the Floridian Feast, Weston, Fla. This event will be graced by Feast Fest chefs for the first time due to its proximity both on the map and the calendar to the final exhibition in Punta Gorda the day before.
Tuesday, 10/30 - Joe Pasik is scheduled to host his annual Halloween Haul cooking event at his Boston, Mass. restaurant with William Vanderbilt, Jim Dall, and Arthur Ayeiy in attendance, but with Hurricane Sandy scheduled to pummel the region on this day, these plans are likely to be cancelled or rescheduled.
Wednesday, 10/31 - *Happy Halloween!* Vanderbilt, Dall, and Ayeiy will be in Paris to meet with Claudien Ainenl to sort out contractual disagreements.
Thursday, 11/1 - No unique activities scheduled.
Friday, 11/2 - No unique activities scheduled.
Birthdays!
10/30 - Alga Ross (scouter)
11/2 - Jarolde James (chef), Alue-Charlote Ste-Germaine Melling (chef)
Apologies - Error
Due to a technical error, entries intended to be posted Friday failed to be published. Some of these entries will be posted Saturday.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Dreim Sets Offer Minimum, Obliterating Forward Pace of Talks
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Stephen Dreim has obliterated the progress of talks the haughty former FF chef was having with Feast Fest.
-Stephen Dreim has obliterated the progress of talks the haughty former FF chef was having with Feast Fest.
Dreim Thursday rejected a Wednesday offer of $631,221--$78,000 above what he would've made this Thanksgiving anyway if he hadn't resigned in a fit of rage and if Feast Fest hadn't tried to lure him back--and instead set a jawdropping offer minimum of $750,000.
That sum is not unheard of; Lynn Avi, Jim McAllister, and the Mason Duo make well over $900,000 each; however, it is a shocking minimum to set because it is $197,000 above what he was making before his resignation. Dreim's position is not lowly, but it is average, and scouters had thought that the $631K offer was "well above what we'd define as 'generous'," so said Scouter Stefanie McOneguew.
The average salary for an FF chef is $544,000, close to what Dreim used to make.
Dreim issued a statement along with the setting of the offer minimum, saying, in part, "I wish to reinstate my status as a part of the wonderful Feast Fest team, but I am setting this offer minimum because I feel I was cheated and violated by the scouters in the past. I feel the best way to remedy this strained relationship is to have me signed to Feast Fest with an ACCURATE amount of money that correlates to my talents."
"Mr. Dreim's comments are completely devoid of credence," said McOneguew of the statement. "His actions today constitute greed...pure greed...nothing other than."
Dreim, who already had a virulent response from his fellow chefs, had that reaction magnified upon his actions.
Before his setting of an offer minimum today, 44% of chefs held a negative view of Dreim, with 42% holding a positive view, 10% being neutral, and 4% refusing to say. But today, the "half love him, half hate him" trend for Dreim had shattered, with the percentage of chefs viewing him negatively swelling to 71%, with 27% viewing him positively, 1% being neutral, and 1% refusing to say.
"These are numbers which must be taken into account," McOneguew said. "We will continue negotiations, but the last thing we will agree to do is to give that chef all that money and then put him in a hostile environment where everyone will want him out anyway."
McOneguew was short and blunt to make her point: "I think these negotiations, now that Mr. Dreim has done this, will fizzle out quickly and severely, with little hope for realistic, collaborative revival."
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Correction
An article about the re-signing of Thenoø Law through 2013 and beyond incorrectly quoted Assistant Head Scouter Benjamin Leiften as Head Scouter Jim Dall.
In fact, Dall is in the middle of a worldwide contract negotiation and recruiting trip, and as such was unavailable for comment.
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In fact, Dall is in the middle of a worldwide contract negotiation and recruiting trip, and as such was unavailable for comment.
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Law, Scouters Come to Deal
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Thenoø Law is one signature away from extending his Feast Fest career for three years.
Law and scouters came to terms Wednesday with a staggered 3-year deal that will start in 2013 with the 15-year fixture receiving $501,336 (up from the $482,267 he'll receive this Thanksgiving), with 2014 pay between $505,000 and $508,000 and 2015 pay between $512,000 and $515,000 (with the exact amount for those years to be determined at a later date).
The deal should take Law through Feast Fest 2015.
"We have reached a preliminary agreement with Thenoø," said a pleased Scouting Department Head Jim Dall.
The claps and hugs and uncorking of champagne can't go around yet, though; because Feast Fest chefs cannot sign deals unless it is the offseason, and because the next offseason will not begin until after Thanksgiving, Law will have to wait until Dec. 3 to put his signature down and make the deal official.
"I'm happy, though," Law said, "because it's a very good deal and because now I know that all I need to do is sign the paper come December and then I can forget about it, have the work of it behind me, for the rest of the offseason."
In 2009, Law signed a four-year deal taking him through 2012. That deal expires after this year's Feast Fest next month.
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-Thenoø Law is one signature away from extending his Feast Fest career for three years.
Law and scouters came to terms Wednesday with a staggered 3-year deal that will start in 2013 with the 15-year fixture receiving $501,336 (up from the $482,267 he'll receive this Thanksgiving), with 2014 pay between $505,000 and $508,000 and 2015 pay between $512,000 and $515,000 (with the exact amount for those years to be determined at a later date).
The deal should take Law through Feast Fest 2015.
"We have reached a preliminary agreement with Thenoø," said a pleased Scouting Department Head Jim Dall.
The claps and hugs and uncorking of champagne can't go around yet, though; because Feast Fest chefs cannot sign deals unless it is the offseason, and because the next offseason will not begin until after Thanksgiving, Law will have to wait until Dec. 3 to put his signature down and make the deal official.
"I'm happy, though," Law said, "because it's a very good deal and because now I know that all I need to do is sign the paper come December and then I can forget about it, have the work of it behind me, for the rest of the offseason."
In 2009, Law signed a four-year deal taking him through 2012. That deal expires after this year's Feast Fest next month.
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Vanderbilt, Dall, Ayeiy Set Off
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Feast Fest Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt, Head Scouter Jim Dall, and Executive Assistant and Vanderbilt Second-in-Command Arthur Ayeiy have left the Marina in the middle of Feast Fest Meeting & Conference Week for the start of a 30-city, 11-day global trek.
Vanderbilt ironically was not able to stay through the entirety of "Managerial Thursday", rather making a short 8 a.m. opening speech and a 10 a.m. commemoration of former chef Mei Okoworth before setting off with Jimmy and Arty.
The threesome was about an hour and a half of the way through a flight to Honolulu, their first stop, at 1:20 p.m. Thursday. They visit Honolulu only tonight before progressing to Tokyo, Osaka, Nagano and Manila on Friday, then catching a red-eye back to North America for business in Vancouver on Saturday.
"Very excited to go on this journey," Vanderbilt remarked. "We'll get to work on some important contracts with overseas chefs and scout out new ones that we can begin negotiations with when the offseason flares back up in December."
One of the biggest items on the menu will be an intense round of negotiations with France-based chef Claudien Ainenl, whom scouters have been attempting to sign to the event for well over a year, when Vandy, Dall, and Ayeiy park it in Paris Oct. 31.
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-Feast Fest Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt, Head Scouter Jim Dall, and Executive Assistant and Vanderbilt Second-in-Command Arthur Ayeiy have left the Marina in the middle of Feast Fest Meeting & Conference Week for the start of a 30-city, 11-day global trek.
Vanderbilt ironically was not able to stay through the entirety of "Managerial Thursday", rather making a short 8 a.m. opening speech and a 10 a.m. commemoration of former chef Mei Okoworth before setting off with Jimmy and Arty.
The threesome was about an hour and a half of the way through a flight to Honolulu, their first stop, at 1:20 p.m. Thursday. They visit Honolulu only tonight before progressing to Tokyo, Osaka, Nagano and Manila on Friday, then catching a red-eye back to North America for business in Vancouver on Saturday.
"Very excited to go on this journey," Vanderbilt remarked. "We'll get to work on some important contracts with overseas chefs and scout out new ones that we can begin negotiations with when the offseason flares back up in December."
One of the biggest items on the menu will be an intense round of negotiations with France-based chef Claudien Ainenl, whom scouters have been attempting to sign to the event for well over a year, when Vandy, Dall, and Ayeiy park it in Paris Oct. 31.
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Correction
An article about Alexei Aiber winning the NCA's Best of the Rest Award falsely stated that he has won the honor seven times; he has only won it four times.
Rather, FELLOW FFer Thenoø Law has won the award seven times: in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, and 2010.
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Rather, FELLOW FFer Thenoø Law has won the award seven times: in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, and 2010.
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Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Aiber Wins BotR Again
-New York
-For the third time in the last four years and for the seventh time in the last eleven years, Alexei Aiber, a longtime Feast Fest fixture, has won the NCA's "Best of the Rest" Most Overlooked/Underestimated Chef Award. The award honors a chef who puts in just as much effort or has just as much talent as his or her more famed, well-known colleagues, but who does not get recognized for his/her efforts often.
Aiber's 7th award in the category may be the last for him as a Feast Fest chef, however, depending on whether or not he exercises a 2013 option on his contract.
However, Aiber may soon be disqualified from the award because he has won it so many times that it has pulled him out of his obscurity and made him much more renowned and well-known than when he first received the honor.
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-For the third time in the last four years and for the seventh time in the last eleven years, Alexei Aiber, a longtime Feast Fest fixture, has won the NCA's "Best of the Rest" Most Overlooked/Underestimated Chef Award. The award honors a chef who puts in just as much effort or has just as much talent as his or her more famed, well-known colleagues, but who does not get recognized for his/her efforts often.
Aiber's 7th award in the category may be the last for him as a Feast Fest chef, however, depending on whether or not he exercises a 2013 option on his contract.
However, Aiber may soon be disqualified from the award because he has won it so many times that it has pulled him out of his obscurity and made him much more renowned and well-known than when he first received the honor.
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Leineken Calls Feast Fest "A Horrendous Employer" in Interview
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-You thought you'd seen the last of him, didn't you?
Well, you were wrong. Daved Leineken, the scouter who made huge waves about this time a year ago for accusations that he bribed former chef Brianna Galen-Ames and was subsequently fired, called Feast Fest "a horrendous...downright tyrannical employer" in an interview.
"We'd work hours and hours on end...with no breaks, the benefits were completely disproportionate to the workloads we were taking on."
In fact, Leineken now spends his days eating caviar and Godiva chocolates in front of a personal home movie theater thanks to the $51 million he made on commissions for signing a whole smorgasbord of now-superstar Feast Fest chefs in his 12 year career from 1999-2011: Galen-Ames, the Mason Duo, Lynn Avi, Joe Pasik, Jan Stephan, Andruw Stephan, Daniel Mettling, Danyela Harris, Laelech Crellas, Jon Chu, Petr and Andri Jones, Guilliame Jacquetaine, and many more. Of the 66 chefs in the event, Leineken signed or was part of a team of scouters which signed 32 of them--almost half. In 2010, Head Scouter Jim Dall announced Leineken as a potential successor to his position.
But the Galen-Ames matter, coupled with his reputation as a ruthless, greedy scouter, led to his fall from glory.
"There is no truth to the comments Mr. Leineken made" in a Feast Fest Press interview, Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt.
The interviewer himself, one Donald Virkenn, said he was "aghast at the falseness" of what Leineken was saying to him during the interview.
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-You thought you'd seen the last of him, didn't you?
Well, you were wrong. Daved Leineken, the scouter who made huge waves about this time a year ago for accusations that he bribed former chef Brianna Galen-Ames and was subsequently fired, called Feast Fest "a horrendous...downright tyrannical employer" in an interview.
"We'd work hours and hours on end...with no breaks, the benefits were completely disproportionate to the workloads we were taking on."
In fact, Leineken now spends his days eating caviar and Godiva chocolates in front of a personal home movie theater thanks to the $51 million he made on commissions for signing a whole smorgasbord of now-superstar Feast Fest chefs in his 12 year career from 1999-2011: Galen-Ames, the Mason Duo, Lynn Avi, Joe Pasik, Jan Stephan, Andruw Stephan, Daniel Mettling, Danyela Harris, Laelech Crellas, Jon Chu, Petr and Andri Jones, Guilliame Jacquetaine, and many more. Of the 66 chefs in the event, Leineken signed or was part of a team of scouters which signed 32 of them--almost half. In 2010, Head Scouter Jim Dall announced Leineken as a potential successor to his position.
But the Galen-Ames matter, coupled with his reputation as a ruthless, greedy scouter, led to his fall from glory.
"There is no truth to the comments Mr. Leineken made" in a Feast Fest Press interview, Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt.
The interviewer himself, one Donald Virkenn, said he was "aghast at the falseness" of what Leineken was saying to him during the interview.
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Piscot To Sit Out at Edelyn
-Phoenix
-Arizonan Feast Fest newcomer Lillian Piscot will sit out the Edelyn Cooking Arena exhibition in Punta Gorda, Fla., on Sunday, due to a broken leg she suffered Monday.
Although the leg "should be healed sufficiently" for Feast Fest, the Edelyn exhibition is "a definite no" as she is still in the initial stages of recovery.
"We wish Piscot the best and the speediest recovery and hope she will be recovered in time for Feast Fest on Nov. 22," said Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt.
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-Arizonan Feast Fest newcomer Lillian Piscot will sit out the Edelyn Cooking Arena exhibition in Punta Gorda, Fla., on Sunday, due to a broken leg she suffered Monday.
Although the leg "should be healed sufficiently" for Feast Fest, the Edelyn exhibition is "a definite no" as she is still in the initial stages of recovery.
"We wish Piscot the best and the speediest recovery and hope she will be recovered in time for Feast Fest on Nov. 22," said Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt.
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Breakthrough in Dreim/FF Talks
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Feast Fest gave in to Stephen Dreim's demands of a formal apology and $1,500 compensation in order to coax him back to the bargaining table Wednesday.
"We believed that Mr. Dreim's demands were unjust," admitted Scouter Phillip Alex, "but when Mr. Dreim held out and we were unable to get him to relent, we gave in to his demands in order to move along the constipated process of getting him re-signed."
Scouters presented Dreim with a $631,221, staggered 3-year deal, with Dreim receiving $631,221 this year and having his annual salary upped by $5,750 in the two successive years. The deal also includes a 2015 option.
The $631K-and-up deal is $87,000 above what Dreim was originally scheduled to receive this year.
"It's an effective raise to lure him back," Alex said.
However, a fellow Scouter, Stefanie McOneguew, remained her colleagues that the sentiment of the chef body as a whole towards Dreim "must be factored in toward our decision.". McOneguew noted that a significant portion of the chef body called Dreim haughty and conceited and said they were "relieved" at Dreim's resignation. "We are further studying Mr. Dreim's relations with fellow chefs throughout the years. If the claims of these chefs are largely true, we would reexamine Dreim." Because, as McOneguew said, "Those qualities are unacceptable among our chefs. We wouldn't hire the best chef in the world if he/she was belligerent to our chefs. Attitude and commitment come first, talent second."
Dreim has yet to respond to the new deal, but claimed to be "thankful" for the apology the event issued, saying that he and an agent were "reviewing the case and the recent offer received."
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-Feast Fest gave in to Stephen Dreim's demands of a formal apology and $1,500 compensation in order to coax him back to the bargaining table Wednesday.
"We believed that Mr. Dreim's demands were unjust," admitted Scouter Phillip Alex, "but when Mr. Dreim held out and we were unable to get him to relent, we gave in to his demands in order to move along the constipated process of getting him re-signed."
Scouters presented Dreim with a $631,221, staggered 3-year deal, with Dreim receiving $631,221 this year and having his annual salary upped by $5,750 in the two successive years. The deal also includes a 2015 option.
The $631K-and-up deal is $87,000 above what Dreim was originally scheduled to receive this year.
"It's an effective raise to lure him back," Alex said.
However, a fellow Scouter, Stefanie McOneguew, remained her colleagues that the sentiment of the chef body as a whole towards Dreim "must be factored in toward our decision.". McOneguew noted that a significant portion of the chef body called Dreim haughty and conceited and said they were "relieved" at Dreim's resignation. "We are further studying Mr. Dreim's relations with fellow chefs throughout the years. If the claims of these chefs are largely true, we would reexamine Dreim." Because, as McOneguew said, "Those qualities are unacceptable among our chefs. We wouldn't hire the best chef in the world if he/she was belligerent to our chefs. Attitude and commitment come first, talent second."
Dreim has yet to respond to the new deal, but claimed to be "thankful" for the apology the event issued, saying that he and an agent were "reviewing the case and the recent offer received."
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Tuesday, October 23, 2012
EB unanimously rescinds "Halfgiving" Measure
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-A proposal to introduce a second Feast Fest per year that would have taken place in June and which surprisingly caught fire in the event's Organization Senate and was passed up to the Executive Board by a 26-24 vote was unanimously destroyed by that Board Tuesday.
The Executive Board, which includes Event Manager William Vanderbilt, Executive Assistants Arthur Ayeiy, Beryl Shady, and seven others, voted 10-0 against the proposal.
The proposal, after repeated attempts to introduce a second Feast Fest into November fizzled out due to logistical hurdles, called for a proposed second Fest to be positioned in June, halfway between two Thanksgivings, and to call it "the Halfgiving Feast Fest."
Shady called it "totally out of our event's spirit" and condemned it.
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-A proposal to introduce a second Feast Fest per year that would have taken place in June and which surprisingly caught fire in the event's Organization Senate and was passed up to the Executive Board by a 26-24 vote was unanimously destroyed by that Board Tuesday.
The Executive Board, which includes Event Manager William Vanderbilt, Executive Assistants Arthur Ayeiy, Beryl Shady, and seven others, voted 10-0 against the proposal.
The proposal, after repeated attempts to introduce a second Feast Fest into November fizzled out due to logistical hurdles, called for a proposed second Fest to be positioned in June, halfway between two Thanksgivings, and to call it "the Halfgiving Feast Fest."
Shady called it "totally out of our event's spirit" and condemned it.
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Aiber, Scouters at Odds
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-As if the whirlwind of contract offers and panicked scouters swirling around Feast Fest tigress Lynn Avi's "1%" possibility of leaving before Thanksgiving 2013 weren't enough, scouters also struggled with contractual deals for Alexei Aiber.
Aiber's contract is not up yet, but it is at a critical hinging point. In 2008, Aiber was signed to a five-year deal with an option for 2013.
Now, the big question is whether Aiber will allow scouters to exercise that option. Aiber is a Feast Fest fixture (2012 will be his 15th Feast Fest) and a fan favorite, but the aging Aiber is considering "slowing down" and "caring for my ailing mother and my wife, who is battling MS." The comments sound uncannily similar to those of a fellow FF fixture and "Original 7" chef Marc Monde before he announced his choice to leave Feast Fest following the 2004 event.
Aiber says he "is 50/50" currently on whether he will leave or stay in 2013, but the scouters are pressing him hard to accept an offer. They slid toward Aiber a $21,447 bonus if he signs the option.
Aiber, however, says he won't be putting his John Hancock anywhere yet. "This is a decision I might not even make until next summer," Aiber said, and somewhat annoyingly added, "I think it's immature and unbusinesslike for the scouters to pressure me into making a decision so soon. Bonus or no bonus, I'll exercise the option only if it feels right."
Aiber refused a request from scouters to hold a private meeting between the two which would have been scheduled for Thursday morning.
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-As if the whirlwind of contract offers and panicked scouters swirling around Feast Fest tigress Lynn Avi's "1%" possibility of leaving before Thanksgiving 2013 weren't enough, scouters also struggled with contractual deals for Alexei Aiber.
Aiber's contract is not up yet, but it is at a critical hinging point. In 2008, Aiber was signed to a five-year deal with an option for 2013.
Now, the big question is whether Aiber will allow scouters to exercise that option. Aiber is a Feast Fest fixture (2012 will be his 15th Feast Fest) and a fan favorite, but the aging Aiber is considering "slowing down" and "caring for my ailing mother and my wife, who is battling MS." The comments sound uncannily similar to those of a fellow FF fixture and "Original 7" chef Marc Monde before he announced his choice to leave Feast Fest following the 2004 event.
Aiber says he "is 50/50" currently on whether he will leave or stay in 2013, but the scouters are pressing him hard to accept an offer. They slid toward Aiber a $21,447 bonus if he signs the option.
Aiber, however, says he won't be putting his John Hancock anywhere yet. "This is a decision I might not even make until next summer," Aiber said, and somewhat annoyingly added, "I think it's immature and unbusinesslike for the scouters to pressure me into making a decision so soon. Bonus or no bonus, I'll exercise the option only if it feels right."
Aiber refused a request from scouters to hold a private meeting between the two which would have been scheduled for Thursday morning.
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Avi Offers Elevated
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Feast Fest tigress Lynn Avi had two additional offers thrown her way by Feast Fest Tuesday here in the middle of Fall Meeting & Conference Week.
Avi has been expressing "only an extremely slight consideration" toward dropping out of Feast Fest for 2013, as her contract expires, in order to return full-time to her restaurant Lala and also to potentially take up a television offer. Avi has said, "I don't quite know how I'll juggle all three at once if I accept that TV offer. I may not, but if it looks really appealing then I'd have to figure out how to make all three commitments work." Although she says that "the probability of me leaving Feast Fest is only about 1%", these comments mortified scouters when they were released Sept. 7. Thus, they rammed down two new contract offers on the heels of one issued Sunday night.
Avi, who will receive $887,463 this year, received a 5-year, $903,455-deal Sunday (all monetary figures are per-year figures, for example, $903,455 every year for five years, not $903,455 over five years).
Feast Fest followed up Tuesday afternoon by dishing out (no pun intended) $909,456, 6-year and, two hours later, $912,973, 5-year deals, the latter deal having options for both 2018 and 2019.
Avi has not yet formally responded to any of the offers,but she said Tuesday that "I don't want people to think that my lack of responses means I'm being greedy and waiting for the scouters to up the offer even more. Rather, I'm carefully taking time to think all this over."
The two sides cannot officially make a deal until the offseason in December, but reaching an agreement now would mean "we'd just have to sign the papers in December and then it'd be done with," so said Head Scouter Jim Dall.
-Feast Fest tigress Lynn Avi had two additional offers thrown her way by Feast Fest Tuesday here in the middle of Fall Meeting & Conference Week.
Avi has been expressing "only an extremely slight consideration" toward dropping out of Feast Fest for 2013, as her contract expires, in order to return full-time to her restaurant Lala and also to potentially take up a television offer. Avi has said, "I don't quite know how I'll juggle all three at once if I accept that TV offer. I may not, but if it looks really appealing then I'd have to figure out how to make all three commitments work." Although she says that "the probability of me leaving Feast Fest is only about 1%", these comments mortified scouters when they were released Sept. 7. Thus, they rammed down two new contract offers on the heels of one issued Sunday night.
Avi, who will receive $887,463 this year, received a 5-year, $903,455-deal Sunday (all monetary figures are per-year figures, for example, $903,455 every year for five years, not $903,455 over five years).
Feast Fest followed up Tuesday afternoon by dishing out (no pun intended) $909,456, 6-year and, two hours later, $912,973, 5-year deals, the latter deal having options for both 2018 and 2019.
Avi has not yet formally responded to any of the offers,but she said Tuesday that "I don't want people to think that my lack of responses means I'm being greedy and waiting for the scouters to up the offer even more. Rather, I'm carefully taking time to think all this over."
The two sides cannot officially make a deal until the offseason in December, but reaching an agreement now would mean "we'd just have to sign the papers in December and then it'd be done with," so said Head Scouter Jim Dall.
2013 Exhibition Schedule Released
The official schedule for the Feast Fest exhibitions for 2013 has been released, and, as expected, it includes the addition of a second international exhibition, and the first in Europe.
In October 2011, Lynn Avi signed a document saying she would agree to give up the annual exhibition at her restaurant Lala in 2013, in hopes of implementing European expansion. It is possible that the three Feast Fest chefs who currently hold exhibitions at their own restaurants--Avi, Jim McAllister, Joe Pasik, and (beginning in 2013) Daniel Mettling--would rotate relinquishing their own exhibition to conform with the European expansion. All of those four chefs say they agree with this plan.
The schedule is as follows:
*new venue
*Mon., Jan. 21 - The Dining Room, Yosemite, Ca.
Sun., Jan. 27 - Edelyn Cooking Arena, Punta Gorda, Fla.
Fri., Apr. 12 - Notes, Long Beach, Ca.
Tue., Jun. 4 - Myskvåard Cooking Arena, Zurich, Switzerland
Tue., Jul. 2 - Nø, Boston, Mass.
Sat., Aug. 31 - Kitchen Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
Mon., Oct. 28 - Edelyn Cooking Arena, Punta Gorda, Fla.
Sun., Nov. 3 - Windows on the Water, Morro Bay, Ca.
Edelyn Cooking Arena in Punta Gorda, Fla. will keep its position as the only venue hosting two separate exhibitions, but it will no longer open and close the exhibitional season. Instead, Daniel Mettling's "The Dining Room" in Yosemite National Park will open the season, with Edelyn's first exhibition coming six days afterward.
In addition, Windows on the Water and Edelyn's second exhibition's traditional positions -- WotW in Morro Bay hosting the second-to-last exhibition and Edelyn in Florida hosting the last, a system used every consecutive year dating back to 2004 -- will be switcharooed, with Windows closing out the exhibitional season, on Nov. 3, for the first time ever.
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In October 2011, Lynn Avi signed a document saying she would agree to give up the annual exhibition at her restaurant Lala in 2013, in hopes of implementing European expansion. It is possible that the three Feast Fest chefs who currently hold exhibitions at their own restaurants--Avi, Jim McAllister, Joe Pasik, and (beginning in 2013) Daniel Mettling--would rotate relinquishing their own exhibition to conform with the European expansion. All of those four chefs say they agree with this plan.
The schedule is as follows:
*new venue
*Mon., Jan. 21 - The Dining Room, Yosemite, Ca.
Sun., Jan. 27 - Edelyn Cooking Arena, Punta Gorda, Fla.
Fri., Apr. 12 - Notes, Long Beach, Ca.
Tue., Jun. 4 - Myskvåard Cooking Arena, Zurich, Switzerland
Tue., Jul. 2 - Nø, Boston, Mass.
Sat., Aug. 31 - Kitchen Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
Mon., Oct. 28 - Edelyn Cooking Arena, Punta Gorda, Fla.
Sun., Nov. 3 - Windows on the Water, Morro Bay, Ca.
Edelyn Cooking Arena in Punta Gorda, Fla. will keep its position as the only venue hosting two separate exhibitions, but it will no longer open and close the exhibitional season. Instead, Daniel Mettling's "The Dining Room" in Yosemite National Park will open the season, with Edelyn's first exhibition coming six days afterward.
In addition, Windows on the Water and Edelyn's second exhibition's traditional positions -- WotW in Morro Bay hosting the second-to-last exhibition and Edelyn in Florida hosting the last, a system used every consecutive year dating back to 2004 -- will be switcharooed, with Windows closing out the exhibitional season, on Nov. 3, for the first time ever.
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Monday, October 22, 2012
94.4 at WotW
-Morro Bay, Ca.
-The results are in, and the official score is 94.4 here at Windows on the Water in Morro Bay, with the turkey scoring a 93.8 for slight dryness.
"Not the best score we wanted to ram down," said a slightly defeated Jim McAllister. "It's average. We wanted something a little higher so we wouldn't have to face such a mountain at Edelyn." McAllister's comments are apt: in the last 10 years, the final exhibition has always been within 1.5 percentage points of the actual Feast Fest score.
Still, 94.4 is a huge improvement on last year's 87.4 here at WotW.
The MVC went to Jan Stephan for his flawless taking on of the Head Sous-Chef position, into which he was forced after an injured Lynn Avi was demoted on the line of power to reduce her tasks and responsibilities and thus her chance of reinjury, and for his 73 NCA points. McAllister led in points overall with 75.
All eyes were on Tony Ruscoso, the Italian-American Vermont-based newcomer chef who wanted to dispel rumors that he was only "experimenting" with his culinary career by joining Feast Fest and as such not taking the event seriously. The rumors stemmed from a gaffe in which he used the aforementioned word, coupled with a surprisingly low $91,000 contract offer, which was upped to a $231,000 deal last week.
Ruscoso didn't shine like a toptier chef, but definitely turned in a quality performance, with 36 points, ranking 24th on the board out of 57 participating chefs. "Ruscoso was a great addition," Avi commented. Lisa Choi said that she believed Ruscoso was "a good find" and "a quality chef" who demonstrated his ability out on the floor here tonight "very well."
"He reminds me of Patrick and Wiley in his style," praised Peter Dumas, referring to Patrick Kermell and Wiley Anders, both Feast Fest fixtures.
573 were in attendance here at WotW, up from 251 last year. The maximum capacity at WotW is 787. The exhibition's coincidence with Monday Night Football, Game 7 of the NLCS, and a Presidential Debate, coupled with the exhibition's lateness (DigIn was not even sevred until 9:45 p.m.), helped to hold back attendance from its full potential and even led to a few people leaving midway through the Official Cooking Portion.
Speaking of the Debate, FF chef Pete Willis was somewhat criticized for wearing earbuds during a significant fraction of the Official Cooking Portion, which some believed distracted him from the task at hand. It was discovered afterward that he had been listening to a livestream of the Obama/Romney debate. Observers noted that Willis removed the earbuds about an hour and a half through the cooking, which is precisely when the debate ended.
When pressed for an explanation, Willis joked back: "I'm an undecided."
-The results are in, and the official score is 94.4 here at Windows on the Water in Morro Bay, with the turkey scoring a 93.8 for slight dryness.
"Not the best score we wanted to ram down," said a slightly defeated Jim McAllister. "It's average. We wanted something a little higher so we wouldn't have to face such a mountain at Edelyn." McAllister's comments are apt: in the last 10 years, the final exhibition has always been within 1.5 percentage points of the actual Feast Fest score.
Still, 94.4 is a huge improvement on last year's 87.4 here at WotW.
The MVC went to Jan Stephan for his flawless taking on of the Head Sous-Chef position, into which he was forced after an injured Lynn Avi was demoted on the line of power to reduce her tasks and responsibilities and thus her chance of reinjury, and for his 73 NCA points. McAllister led in points overall with 75.
All eyes were on Tony Ruscoso, the Italian-American Vermont-based newcomer chef who wanted to dispel rumors that he was only "experimenting" with his culinary career by joining Feast Fest and as such not taking the event seriously. The rumors stemmed from a gaffe in which he used the aforementioned word, coupled with a surprisingly low $91,000 contract offer, which was upped to a $231,000 deal last week.
Ruscoso didn't shine like a toptier chef, but definitely turned in a quality performance, with 36 points, ranking 24th on the board out of 57 participating chefs. "Ruscoso was a great addition," Avi commented. Lisa Choi said that she believed Ruscoso was "a good find" and "a quality chef" who demonstrated his ability out on the floor here tonight "very well."
"He reminds me of Patrick and Wiley in his style," praised Peter Dumas, referring to Patrick Kermell and Wiley Anders, both Feast Fest fixtures.
573 were in attendance here at WotW, up from 251 last year. The maximum capacity at WotW is 787. The exhibition's coincidence with Monday Night Football, Game 7 of the NLCS, and a Presidential Debate, coupled with the exhibition's lateness (DigIn was not even sevred until 9:45 p.m.), helped to hold back attendance from its full potential and even led to a few people leaving midway through the Official Cooking Portion.
Speaking of the Debate, FF chef Pete Willis was somewhat criticized for wearing earbuds during a significant fraction of the Official Cooking Portion, which some believed distracted him from the task at hand. It was discovered afterward that he had been listening to a livestream of the Obama/Romney debate. Observers noted that Willis removed the earbuds about an hour and a half through the cooking, which is precisely when the debate ended.
When pressed for an explanation, Willis joked back: "I'm an undecided."
Cooking at WotW
-Morro Bay, CA
-The official cooking portion bell has rung! The starting projected NCA score is 50.0, and it is already rapidly rising.
Jan Stephan started things off quickly in the scoring, doing a double flip to get on the individual chef points scoreboard in the first minute.
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-The official cooking portion bell has rung! The starting projected NCA score is 50.0, and it is already rapidly rising.
Jan Stephan started things off quickly in the scoring, doing a double flip to get on the individual chef points scoreboard in the first minute.
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Minutes Away in Morro Bay
-Morro Bay, CA
-We're mere minutes away from the start of the official cooking portion here at Windows on the Water in Morro Bay, and everything looks good to go timewise. The chefs have already been introduced, the anthem sung, and preparations are complete. We're just waiting for the first turkey in the oven and for the cooking portion start bell to be officially rung.
The projected time of the exhibition is about 3 hours, 30 minutes. FFers hope to up their score here at WotW from a paltry 89.0 showing here in 2011.
-We're mere minutes away from the start of the official cooking portion here at Windows on the Water in Morro Bay, and everything looks good to go timewise. The chefs have already been introduced, the anthem sung, and preparations are complete. We're just waiting for the first turkey in the oven and for the cooking portion start bell to be officially rung.
The projected time of the exhibition is about 3 hours, 30 minutes. FFers hope to up their score here at WotW from a paltry 89.0 showing here in 2011.
Avi Demoted on Line of Power for WotW Exhibition, Stephan to Serve as HSC
-Morro Bay, Ca.
-Jan Stephan will serve as Head Sous-Chef tonight at Windows on the Water in Morro Bay, as Lynn Avi has been demoted to the lowly seventh line of power.
The demotion is a temporary one for Avi's own safety. Avi wanted to participate even after a severe ankle sprain she suffered after a slip-and-fall on Saturday. It was uncertain how that would be accomplished, until now.
As one goes down on the lines of power, each descending line of power has less power and responsibility than the one above it. Placing Avi on the lowest line of power will allow her to participate while reducing the amount of work she will have to conduct, which will hopefully ease any strain on her ankle.
Another key element of the relocation on the line of power is the fact that Avi's role of Head Sous-Chef requires much mobility due to one of its main facets of acting as a messenger role between the Head Chefs' Table and the chef body as a whole. This requires much running and dashing around, which could further strain Avi's injury.
Avi sustained the injury after slipping and falling Saturday on a Midtown Manhattan sidewalk. "Just clumsy me being clumsy me," she joked of the injury earlier Monday.
-Jan Stephan will serve as Head Sous-Chef tonight at Windows on the Water in Morro Bay, as Lynn Avi has been demoted to the lowly seventh line of power.
The demotion is a temporary one for Avi's own safety. Avi wanted to participate even after a severe ankle sprain she suffered after a slip-and-fall on Saturday. It was uncertain how that would be accomplished, until now.
As one goes down on the lines of power, each descending line of power has less power and responsibility than the one above it. Placing Avi on the lowest line of power will allow her to participate while reducing the amount of work she will have to conduct, which will hopefully ease any strain on her ankle.
Another key element of the relocation on the line of power is the fact that Avi's role of Head Sous-Chef requires much mobility due to one of its main facets of acting as a messenger role between the Head Chefs' Table and the chef body as a whole. This requires much running and dashing around, which could further strain Avi's injury.
Avi sustained the injury after slipping and falling Saturday on a Midtown Manhattan sidewalk. "Just clumsy me being clumsy me," she joked of the injury earlier Monday.
Ruscoso Should Bring a Strong Performance
-Morro Bay, Ca.
-Tony Ruscoso, the Vermont-based Feast Fest newcomer, should have a breakout performance this evening at Windows on the Water in Morro Bay.
Ruscoso was signed in June, but he was held back from the Jul. 2 Boston exhibition due to work commitments (despite its proximity to Vermont), and illness kept him from participating in the next and most recent exhibition, Tokyo on Sept. 16.
Ruscoso's two failed attempts to participate in Feast Fest exhibitions made some wary, especially since there had been confusion during his contract negotiation process as to how long he planned to stay with the event, gaffing by using the word "experimentation" and making many think that Feast Fest was just a little fling that the American-born Italian chef at a Vermont mountain resort was unlikely to take seriously.
Ruscoso, however, wants to dispel those rumors. "There have been some nasty things said," commented Ruscoso midday Monday. "There have just been an unfortunate series of extenuating circumstances, wherein I gaffed once, and then there were two sets of extenuating circumstances which disallowed me from attending the first two exhibitions for which I was eligible for participation." And the combination of those two, Ruscoso says, "led to me having a bad image, a bad reputation. That's something I want to set straight, tonight, on that floor."
The first exhibition of a Feast Fest chef is critical in determining their performance levels. One chef in 2007 never even saw Feast Fest that year because he performed too poorly in the exhibitions. Alan Rousswick bumbled in three consecutive exhibitions and was fired three weeks before Thanksgiving. (Rousswick, however, was rehired in 2009 and has performed flawlessly since.)
"I'll take it easy to get my feet wet, but I want to concentrate and make some sort of impression, something that will eliminate or at least chop down to size some of these scathing rumors questioning my commitment that have been swirling around."
Ruscoso says he has been personally wounded by the comments that he has no sense of commitment. "I've been an avid follower of Feast Fest from its beginnings in the mid-1990s. I know the commitment these chefs put into this event. I want to prove to myself and to them that I can uphold such a commitment."
After all, he says, "it's one of the main reasons I joined."
-Tony Ruscoso, the Vermont-based Feast Fest newcomer, should have a breakout performance this evening at Windows on the Water in Morro Bay.
Ruscoso was signed in June, but he was held back from the Jul. 2 Boston exhibition due to work commitments (despite its proximity to Vermont), and illness kept him from participating in the next and most recent exhibition, Tokyo on Sept. 16.
Ruscoso's two failed attempts to participate in Feast Fest exhibitions made some wary, especially since there had been confusion during his contract negotiation process as to how long he planned to stay with the event, gaffing by using the word "experimentation" and making many think that Feast Fest was just a little fling that the American-born Italian chef at a Vermont mountain resort was unlikely to take seriously.
Ruscoso, however, wants to dispel those rumors. "There have been some nasty things said," commented Ruscoso midday Monday. "There have just been an unfortunate series of extenuating circumstances, wherein I gaffed once, and then there were two sets of extenuating circumstances which disallowed me from attending the first two exhibitions for which I was eligible for participation." And the combination of those two, Ruscoso says, "led to me having a bad image, a bad reputation. That's something I want to set straight, tonight, on that floor."
The first exhibition of a Feast Fest chef is critical in determining their performance levels. One chef in 2007 never even saw Feast Fest that year because he performed too poorly in the exhibitions. Alan Rousswick bumbled in three consecutive exhibitions and was fired three weeks before Thanksgiving. (Rousswick, however, was rehired in 2009 and has performed flawlessly since.)
"I'll take it easy to get my feet wet, but I want to concentrate and make some sort of impression, something that will eliminate or at least chop down to size some of these scathing rumors questioning my commitment that have been swirling around."
Ruscoso says he has been personally wounded by the comments that he has no sense of commitment. "I've been an avid follower of Feast Fest from its beginnings in the mid-1990s. I know the commitment these chefs put into this event. I want to prove to myself and to them that I can uphold such a commitment."
After all, he says, "it's one of the main reasons I joined."
Final List for WotW Released
-Morro Bay, Ca.
-The final list has been released for the exhibition here in Morro Bay, which will be starting in about one hour.
The Mason Duo will not be participating, as previously announced, and we now know the names of seven other chefs left out for personal needs, prior commitments, or other reasons:
Pasik
Chu
Wholehreh
J. Rousswick
Styler
Jurrjens
Dreim
It was believed that Stephen Dreim might not be able to participate here at WotW due to his resignation, but his name was kept on the list in hopes that FF would shake up a deal with Dreim in time for him to shoot up the 101 to here in Morro Bay. However, Dreim and Feast Fest are still at odds, so he will not be participating. (Note: Although Dreim has resigned, because Feast Fest is attempting to re-hire him, he is still being included in the chef count of 66. That number will only be lowered to 65 if talks between the two sides break off and Dreim is not re-signed in time for this year's Feast Fest, which is only a month away on Nov. 22.)
In addition, Jawroldy Jurrjens was sidelined by a bout of mononucleosis, which could cause him to sit out Sunday's Edelyn exhibition as well, Jon Chu was detained by "a family crisis" involving "an aging aunt," and Joe Pasik is committed to attending a wedding of a cousin today.
Joan Styler, Jane Rousswick, and Keith Wholehreh had little to no explanations for their dropouts. Ongoing pregnancy is one possible cause for Styler--although she gave no explanation this time around, pregnancy was the listed cause that kept her out of the Sept. 16 Tokyo exhibition.
-The final list has been released for the exhibition here in Morro Bay, which will be starting in about one hour.
The Mason Duo will not be participating, as previously announced, and we now know the names of seven other chefs left out for personal needs, prior commitments, or other reasons:
Pasik
Chu
Wholehreh
J. Rousswick
Styler
Jurrjens
Dreim
It was believed that Stephen Dreim might not be able to participate here at WotW due to his resignation, but his name was kept on the list in hopes that FF would shake up a deal with Dreim in time for him to shoot up the 101 to here in Morro Bay. However, Dreim and Feast Fest are still at odds, so he will not be participating. (Note: Although Dreim has resigned, because Feast Fest is attempting to re-hire him, he is still being included in the chef count of 66. That number will only be lowered to 65 if talks between the two sides break off and Dreim is not re-signed in time for this year's Feast Fest, which is only a month away on Nov. 22.)
In addition, Jawroldy Jurrjens was sidelined by a bout of mononucleosis, which could cause him to sit out Sunday's Edelyn exhibition as well, Jon Chu was detained by "a family crisis" involving "an aging aunt," and Joe Pasik is committed to attending a wedding of a cousin today.
Joan Styler, Jane Rousswick, and Keith Wholehreh had little to no explanations for their dropouts. Ongoing pregnancy is one possible cause for Styler--although she gave no explanation this time around, pregnancy was the listed cause that kept her out of the Sept. 16 Tokyo exhibition.
Readying for WotW
-Morro Bay, Ca.
-Kicking off a huge week for Feast Fest, chefs have arrived here at Windows on the Water in San Luis Obispo County's Morro Bay, for the seventh of eight Feast Fest offswasin exhibitions. Less than a week from today, on Sunday, Feast Festers engage in the final exhibition before Feast Fest 2012 at Edelyn Cooking Arena in Punta Gorda, Fla.
But for now the focus is on WotW. Chefs want to avoid a repeat of a tarnished performance here in The Town by the Rock after scoring 87.5 overall and garnering a 79.0 turkey individual score. That exhibition was delayed twice due to water main breaks under the kitchen floor, and most of the exhibition--intended for a Saturday afternoon--took place late on a Sunday night.
FFers also wish to improve on their performance at their last exhibition, at Kitchen Stadium Japan in Tokyo on Sept. 16, which saw a lukewarm 90.9 overall score and a disappointing 85.7 turkey rating, primarily due to exceptionally dry birds that saddled Feast Fest's lone overseas exhibition for the second time in three tries (the 2010 Tokyo birds had those in attendance given samples of the turkey asking, "This is their traditional feast?").
The schedule for the evening is for the Official Cooking Portion, which is about half as long as that of the actual Feast Fest, to commence at 6:00 p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET and for DigIn to (hopefully) take place around 9:30 p.m. PT/12:30 a.m. ET.
Of this year's 66 chefs, 57 will be present. The Mason Duo will not be present due to a prior commitment. Because they will be gone, Jim McAllister will serve as sole head chef.
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-Kicking off a huge week for Feast Fest, chefs have arrived here at Windows on the Water in San Luis Obispo County's Morro Bay, for the seventh of eight Feast Fest offswasin exhibitions. Less than a week from today, on Sunday, Feast Festers engage in the final exhibition before Feast Fest 2012 at Edelyn Cooking Arena in Punta Gorda, Fla.
But for now the focus is on WotW. Chefs want to avoid a repeat of a tarnished performance here in The Town by the Rock after scoring 87.5 overall and garnering a 79.0 turkey individual score. That exhibition was delayed twice due to water main breaks under the kitchen floor, and most of the exhibition--intended for a Saturday afternoon--took place late on a Sunday night.
FFers also wish to improve on their performance at their last exhibition, at Kitchen Stadium Japan in Tokyo on Sept. 16, which saw a lukewarm 90.9 overall score and a disappointing 85.7 turkey rating, primarily due to exceptionally dry birds that saddled Feast Fest's lone overseas exhibition for the second time in three tries (the 2010 Tokyo birds had those in attendance given samples of the turkey asking, "This is their traditional feast?").
The schedule for the evening is for the Official Cooking Portion, which is about half as long as that of the actual Feast Fest, to commence at 6:00 p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET and for DigIn to (hopefully) take place around 9:30 p.m. PT/12:30 a.m. ET.
Of this year's 66 chefs, 57 will be present. The Mason Duo will not be present due to a prior commitment. Because they will be gone, Jim McAllister will serve as sole head chef.
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Feast Fest Pre-Event Chefs Schedule 2012 RELEASED
The schedule has been released for what will occur once the Feast
Fest chefs arrive in Marina del Rey for Feast Fest XVIII on Monday, November 12. They'll be in the Marina continuously for two weeks straight. Here's the
breakdown:
Times are PST
Monday, November 12th
Feast Fest Chefs Arrive Throughout the Day
8:00p.m. -- Roll Call in the Grand Ballroom to Ensure All 66 Chefs have Arrived
Tuesday, November 13th
8:30a.m.-3:00p.m. -- Opening Deliberations in the Grand Ballroom
4:00p.m.-6:00p.m. -- Mock Practice #1
Wednesday, November 14th
10:00a.m.-12:00p.m. -- Practice: Kitchen Equipment Runthrough
1:00p.m.-3:00p.m. -- Practice: Flare Skills Runthrough
4:00p.m.-6:00p.m. -- Practice: Core Skills Runthrough
7:00p.m.-9:00p.m. -- Practice: Innovative Ideas Workshop
Thursday, November 15th
8:00a.m.-3:00p.m. -- Official Pre-Event Chefs-Scouters Meeting
5:00p.m.-7:00p.m. -- Practice: Core Skills Runthrough
Friday, November 16th
9:00a.m.-11:00a.m. -- Practice:Kitchen Equipment Runthrough
11:30a.m.-1:30p.m. -- Practice: Flare Skills Runthrough
2:30p.m.-4:30p.m. -- Innovative Ideas Workshop
Saturday, November 17th
10:00a.m.-11:00 a.m. -- Practice: Turkey Roasters Rundown
11:00a.m.-1:00p.m. -- Tribute to Chefs who Left During the Offseason
1:00p.m.-3:00p.m. -- Welcome to New Chefs who Joined During the Offseason
3:00p.m.-5:00p.m. -- (New Chefs Only) NEW CHEF ORIENTATION SESSION, ALL CHEFS WHO JOINED ON OR AFTER DECEMBER 1, 2011 MUST BE PRESENT
Sunday, November 18th
8:00a.m.-10:00a.m. -- Practice: Flare Skills Runthrough
10:00a.m.-1:00p.m. -- Feast Fest Football Party
Monday, November19th
8:00a.m.-10:00a.m. -- Practice: Flare Skills Runthrough
10:00a.m.-12:00p.m. -- Practice: Core Skills Runthrough
2:00p.m.-4:00p.m. -- Practice: Turkey Roasters Rundown
4:00p.m.-6:00p.m. -- Practice: Kitchen Equipment Runthrough
Tuesday, November 20th
9:00a.m.-12:01p.m. -- ANNUAL MOCK "DRESS REHEARSAL" PREPFEST
12:02p.m.-7:04p.m. -- ANNUAL MOCK "DRESS REHEARSAL" FEAST FEST -- ALL 66 CHEFS MUST BE PRESENT
Wednesday, November 21st
--Day of Rest for Feast Fest chefs--
Thursday, November 22nd
--FEAST FEST XVIII!--
Friday, November 23rd
--Day of Rest for Feast Fest chefs--
Saturday, November 24th
9:00p.m. -- Feast Fest Chefs After Party!
Sunday, November 25th
10:00a.m.-1:00p.m. -- Feast Fest Football Party
Monday, November 26th
7:00a.m.-1:00p.m.--Annual Closing Meeting and Closing Deliberations
1:00p.m.--Chefs leave Fest Fest
Times are PST
Monday, November 12th
Feast Fest Chefs Arrive Throughout the Day
8:00p.m. -- Roll Call in the Grand Ballroom to Ensure All 66 Chefs have Arrived
Tuesday, November 13th
8:30a.m.-3:00p.m. -- Opening Deliberations in the Grand Ballroom
4:00p.m.-6:00p.m. -- Mock Practice #1
Wednesday, November 14th
10:00a.m.-12:00p.m. -- Practice: Kitchen Equipment Runthrough
1:00p.m.-3:00p.m. -- Practice: Flare Skills Runthrough
4:00p.m.-6:00p.m. -- Practice: Core Skills Runthrough
7:00p.m.-9:00p.m. -- Practice: Innovative Ideas Workshop
Thursday, November 15th
8:00a.m.-3:00p.m. -- Official Pre-Event Chefs-Scouters Meeting
5:00p.m.-7:00p.m. -- Practice: Core Skills Runthrough
Friday, November 16th
9:00a.m.-11:00a.m. -- Practice:Kitchen Equipment Runthrough
11:30a.m.-1:30p.m. -- Practice: Flare Skills Runthrough
2:30p.m.-4:30p.m. -- Innovative Ideas Workshop
Saturday, November 17th
10:00a.m.-11:00 a.m. -- Practice: Turkey Roasters Rundown
11:00a.m.-1:00p.m. -- Tribute to Chefs who Left During the Offseason
1:00p.m.-3:00p.m. -- Welcome to New Chefs who Joined During the Offseason
3:00p.m.-5:00p.m. -- (New Chefs Only) NEW CHEF ORIENTATION SESSION, ALL CHEFS WHO JOINED ON OR AFTER DECEMBER 1, 2011 MUST BE PRESENT
Sunday, November 18th
8:00a.m.-10:00a.m. -- Practice: Flare Skills Runthrough
10:00a.m.-1:00p.m. -- Feast Fest Football Party
Monday, November19th
8:00a.m.-10:00a.m. -- Practice: Flare Skills Runthrough
10:00a.m.-12:00p.m. -- Practice: Core Skills Runthrough
2:00p.m.-4:00p.m. -- Practice: Turkey Roasters Rundown
4:00p.m.-6:00p.m. -- Practice: Kitchen Equipment Runthrough
Tuesday, November 20th
9:00a.m.-12:01p.m. -- ANNUAL MOCK "DRESS REHEARSAL" PREPFEST
12:02p.m.-7:04p.m. -- ANNUAL MOCK "DRESS REHEARSAL" FEAST FEST -- ALL 66 CHEFS MUST BE PRESENT
Wednesday, November 21st
--Day of Rest for Feast Fest chefs--
Thursday, November 22nd
--FEAST FEST XVIII!--
Friday, November 23rd
--Day of Rest for Feast Fest chefs--
Saturday, November 24th
9:00p.m. -- Feast Fest Chefs After Party!
Sunday, November 25th
10:00a.m.-1:00p.m. -- Feast Fest Football Party
Monday, November 26th
7:00a.m.-1:00p.m.--Annual Closing Meeting and Closing Deliberations
1:00p.m.--Chefs leave Fest Fest
Sunday, October 21, 2012
FF Moves Negotiations with First Offer to Avi
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Tigress Head Sous-Chef Lynn Avi could jump over Co-Head Chef Jim McAllister in salary terms in a latest offer made by Feast Fest scouters.
The offer was not to be publicly announced until Monday morning but was leaked Sunday evening by sources familiar with the situation.
Avi, who will enter her seventh Feast Fest this Thanksgiving, will rake in $887,463 this year, having cradles $884,372 last year. Avi's contract expires December 31 and must be renewed in the upcoming offseason, which begins in December. Re-signing the glamgirl Avi for 2013 and beyond will be one of Feast Fest's biggest priorities post-Nov. 22.
This is Avi's second contract renewal negotiation. Originally signed for a two-year, $733,000-deal in 2006, she renegotiated in 2008.
The current proposal is for a 5-year, $903,455 deal.
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-Tigress Head Sous-Chef Lynn Avi could jump over Co-Head Chef Jim McAllister in salary terms in a latest offer made by Feast Fest scouters.
The offer was not to be publicly announced until Monday morning but was leaked Sunday evening by sources familiar with the situation.
Avi, who will enter her seventh Feast Fest this Thanksgiving, will rake in $887,463 this year, having cradles $884,372 last year. Avi's contract expires December 31 and must be renewed in the upcoming offseason, which begins in December. Re-signing the glamgirl Avi for 2013 and beyond will be one of Feast Fest's biggest priorities post-Nov. 22.
This is Avi's second contract renewal negotiation. Originally signed for a two-year, $733,000-deal in 2006, she renegotiated in 2008.
The current proposal is for a 5-year, $903,455 deal.
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A. Hulckackamp Cleared
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Adam Hulckackamp has been cleared as the possible fifth scouter who took a $25,000 bribe from Anah de Vri and Peter di Vris in order to get the Dutch duo an unauthorized $469,000 salary upping.
Hulckackamp had been under investigation as a possible still-unidentified fifth scouter, aside from four now-fired others.
Hulckackamp had been implicated earlier this week in the scandal, because a cousin of his, Stan, was one of the condemned four scouters.
However, an independent investigation found Adam Hulckackamp wholly innocent. Hulckackamp claims to have had "no knowledge" of the incident before it was exposed earlier this month, saying he was "shocked and appalled" when he learned that his cousin was involved.
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-Adam Hulckackamp has been cleared as the possible fifth scouter who took a $25,000 bribe from Anah de Vri and Peter di Vris in order to get the Dutch duo an unauthorized $469,000 salary upping.
Hulckackamp had been under investigation as a possible still-unidentified fifth scouter, aside from four now-fired others.
Hulckackamp had been implicated earlier this week in the scandal, because a cousin of his, Stan, was one of the condemned four scouters.
However, an independent investigation found Adam Hulckackamp wholly innocent. Hulckackamp claims to have had "no knowledge" of the incident before it was exposed earlier this month, saying he was "shocked and appalled" when he learned that his cousin was involved.
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Vanderbilt Wins Managerial Award
The NCA's Managerial Award, given to the best manager of a restaurant, culinary institution, school, or event, went to William Vanderbilt for the second straight year Sunday.
Vanderbilt's fifth nomination led to his second victory in the category, with an outstandingly unanimous 1,533 votes, more than half of all those cast. 103 people were nominated.
"I am so touched and deeply moved to have been honored in this manner yet again," he said, emotionally stricken, at a press conference late Sunday.
"We are elated," Arthur Ayeiy, Vanderbilt's second-in-command, said when asked to describe the feelings of the FF chefs and other staff upon the announcement.
When he won this honor in 2011, some chefs disapproved and even booed at the announcement. This was because Vanderbilt's approval ratings among chefs had dipped sharply the week before the announcement due to his perceived support of reviled former chef Brianna Galen-Ames. However, there seemed to be no such dissension at Vandy's cradling of the award this time around.
Henry Lilton, manager of the New York Thanksgiving Spectacular, the largest Thanksgiving event similar to Feast Fest, placed fifth in the voting. Lilton's "Spectacular" has 34 chefs, about half of the amount Feast Fest has.
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Vanderbilt's fifth nomination led to his second victory in the category, with an outstandingly unanimous 1,533 votes, more than half of all those cast. 103 people were nominated.
"I am so touched and deeply moved to have been honored in this manner yet again," he said, emotionally stricken, at a press conference late Sunday.
"We are elated," Arthur Ayeiy, Vanderbilt's second-in-command, said when asked to describe the feelings of the FF chefs and other staff upon the announcement.
When he won this honor in 2011, some chefs disapproved and even booed at the announcement. This was because Vanderbilt's approval ratings among chefs had dipped sharply the week before the announcement due to his perceived support of reviled former chef Brianna Galen-Ames. However, there seemed to be no such dissension at Vandy's cradling of the award this time around.
Henry Lilton, manager of the New York Thanksgiving Spectacular, the largest Thanksgiving event similar to Feast Fest, placed fifth in the voting. Lilton's "Spectacular" has 34 chefs, about half of the amount Feast Fest has.
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Donavert Defends Dreim, Shady Says FFers Opinion of Dreim Will Influence Rehiring Efforts
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Feast Fest chef Lakeland Donavert (don-uh-VAIR) defiantly defended former fellow FF fixture Stephen Dreim Sunday, calling Dreim "a master" whose "love for Feast Fest and wishes for it to reach the highest of heights would have absolutely excluded him from partaking in any nefarious activities that would damage the event's reputation," referring to Dreim's implication in a bribery scandal earlier this week. Dreim's name has been cleared in that scandal, but he resigned earlier this week mere hours before he was pronounced innocent, angered at the intense interrogations and harsh treatment he received during an independent investigation. Feast Fest has tried desperately to re-sign a stubborn Dreim, but some aren't so sure if that's the best move. Chefs have condemned the 33-year-old Americana master, calling him haughty, conceited, and self-centered, while others, such as Donavert, have virulently defended him.
"Feast Fest wishes to do what is best for the chef body as a whole," FF Executive Beryl Shady said early Sunday. "We wish to conform to the wishes of the chef body. If those wishes are saying, 'Hey, we didn't get along with Dreim, so if he doesn't want to come back don't try to get him back,' we'll listen." But, Shady said, "We're waiting for more chefs to voice an opinion before we make a decision based on those dialogues."
Only 23 chefs have voiced a Dreim opinion so far; of those 23, 11 viewed him negatively, 11 viewed him positively, and 1 was neutral.
Dreim is a polarizing factor among FF chefs. Said one of the few neutral chefs, Jack Mark, "You love him or you hate him, that's why he's Steve Dreim."
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-Feast Fest chef Lakeland Donavert (don-uh-VAIR) defiantly defended former fellow FF fixture Stephen Dreim Sunday, calling Dreim "a master" whose "love for Feast Fest and wishes for it to reach the highest of heights would have absolutely excluded him from partaking in any nefarious activities that would damage the event's reputation," referring to Dreim's implication in a bribery scandal earlier this week. Dreim's name has been cleared in that scandal, but he resigned earlier this week mere hours before he was pronounced innocent, angered at the intense interrogations and harsh treatment he received during an independent investigation. Feast Fest has tried desperately to re-sign a stubborn Dreim, but some aren't so sure if that's the best move. Chefs have condemned the 33-year-old Americana master, calling him haughty, conceited, and self-centered, while others, such as Donavert, have virulently defended him.
"Feast Fest wishes to do what is best for the chef body as a whole," FF Executive Beryl Shady said early Sunday. "We wish to conform to the wishes of the chef body. If those wishes are saying, 'Hey, we didn't get along with Dreim, so if he doesn't want to come back don't try to get him back,' we'll listen." But, Shady said, "We're waiting for more chefs to voice an opinion before we make a decision based on those dialogues."
Only 23 chefs have voiced a Dreim opinion so far; of those 23, 11 viewed him negatively, 11 viewed him positively, and 1 was neutral.
Dreim is a polarizing factor among FF chefs. Said one of the few neutral chefs, Jack Mark, "You love him or you hate him, that's why he's Steve Dreim."
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Saturday, October 20, 2012
Four Scouters Connected to di Vris/de Vri Bribery
-In a huge twist of events, Feast Fest released late Saturday the blacklist of four scouters confirmed to have accepted to bribes from now fired Feast Fest chefs Anah de Vri and Peter di Vris.
The Dutch duo bribed Stan Hulckackamp, Victoria Mironey, Vince Wisener, Robert Wrampes, and a fifth scouter $25,000 each to receive an illegitimate $469,000 salary raise. All four have been fired.
The fifth scouter has not yet been fired because he has yet to be identified. Feast Fest is investigating Stan Hulckackamp's cousin, fellow scouter Adam Hulckackamp, as the possible fifth offender.
Feast Fest announced that five of its executives would serve as interim scouters until the five condemned ones can have replacements hired.
Scouter Joshua Lellebrydge was listed in a Thursday statement as one of the bribed scouters, but Feast Fest Executive Manager William Vanderbilt said Saturday that Lellebrydge "[had] no connections to the bribes."
Lellebrydge was fired Thursday, but "we will work on retiring him as he has been cleared of any involvement," Vanderbilt said.
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The Dutch duo bribed Stan Hulckackamp, Victoria Mironey, Vince Wisener, Robert Wrampes, and a fifth scouter $25,000 each to receive an illegitimate $469,000 salary raise. All four have been fired.
The fifth scouter has not yet been fired because he has yet to be identified. Feast Fest is investigating Stan Hulckackamp's cousin, fellow scouter Adam Hulckackamp, as the possible fifth offender.
Feast Fest announced that five of its executives would serve as interim scouters until the five condemned ones can have replacements hired.
Scouter Joshua Lellebrydge was listed in a Thursday statement as one of the bribed scouters, but Feast Fest Executive Manager William Vanderbilt said Saturday that Lellebrydge "[had] no connections to the bribes."
Lellebrydge was fired Thursday, but "we will work on retiring him as he has been cleared of any involvement," Vanderbilt said.
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Shady Announces Trip
FF exec Beryl Shady, fourth-in-command to Executive Mgr. William Vanderbilt, has announced her own World Tour in addition to that which will be taken by Vanderbilt, Executive Asst. Arthur Ayeiy, and Scouting Dept. Head Jim Dall.
"I will be tripping around the world to recruit new chefs for 2013 and beyond, as well as to negotiate with current Feast Fest chefs," Shady announced Saturday.
The schedule for Shady's voyage is as follows (cities with asterisks indicate Shady will be there at the same time as the Vanderbilt-Ayeiy-Dall threesome):
October 26 - Los Angeles, New York
October 27 - Paris, Amsterdam, London
October 28 - Montréal, *Punta Gorda, Fla.
October 29 - *Washington, *Philadelphia, *Chicago
October 30 - *Toronto, Ottawa, *Boston
October 31 - Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Yellowstone, Wyo.
November 1 - Denver, Seattle, Vancouver
November 2 - Tokyo, Manila
November 3 - Sydney, Honolulu
November 4 - *Phoenix, *San Francisco
November 5 - Yosemite N.P., Ca., San Diego
November 6 - Mexico City
November 7 - New Orleans
November 8 - St. Louis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles
Shady will visit 30 cities over 14 days in the tour.
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"I will be tripping around the world to recruit new chefs for 2013 and beyond, as well as to negotiate with current Feast Fest chefs," Shady announced Saturday.
The schedule for Shady's voyage is as follows (cities with asterisks indicate Shady will be there at the same time as the Vanderbilt-Ayeiy-Dall threesome):
October 26 - Los Angeles, New York
October 27 - Paris, Amsterdam, London
October 28 - Montréal, *Punta Gorda, Fla.
October 29 - *Washington, *Philadelphia, *Chicago
October 30 - *Toronto, Ottawa, *Boston
October 31 - Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Yellowstone, Wyo.
November 1 - Denver, Seattle, Vancouver
November 2 - Tokyo, Manila
November 3 - Sydney, Honolulu
November 4 - *Phoenix, *San Francisco
November 5 - Yosemite N.P., Ca., San Diego
November 6 - Mexico City
November 7 - New Orleans
November 8 - St. Louis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles
Shady will visit 30 cities over 14 days in the tour.
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Meeting & Conference Week Schedule Released
The official schedule for Feast Fest Fall Meeting & Conference Week has been released.
Although the Week will consist of meetings, conferences, and activities strewn from Monday through Friday, the majority of activity will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday.
This is because the chefs will be busy on Monday with an exhibition up the coast in Morro Bay, and because Mgr. William Vanderbilt, Executive Assistant and Vanderbilt second-in-command Arthur Ayeiy, and Head Scouter Jim Dall leave Thursday on an eleven day recruiting and contract negotiation world tour, meaning that the event's three biggest non-chef names will effectively be absent for the latter two days of the week.
Ironically, Manager Vanderbilt will have to leave in the middle of "Managers' Thursday", the official day of announcements and meetings from and among Feast Fest's executive/managerial branch. Vanderbilt will open deliberations Thursday with a brief 8 a.m. speech and will then proceed to LAX for a fast plane to Honolulu, first of 30 cities he, Ayeiy, and Dall visit on their World Tour.
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Although the Week will consist of meetings, conferences, and activities strewn from Monday through Friday, the majority of activity will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday.
This is because the chefs will be busy on Monday with an exhibition up the coast in Morro Bay, and because Mgr. William Vanderbilt, Executive Assistant and Vanderbilt second-in-command Arthur Ayeiy, and Head Scouter Jim Dall leave Thursday on an eleven day recruiting and contract negotiation world tour, meaning that the event's three biggest non-chef names will effectively be absent for the latter two days of the week.
Ironically, Manager Vanderbilt will have to leave in the middle of "Managers' Thursday", the official day of announcements and meetings from and among Feast Fest's executive/managerial branch. Vanderbilt will open deliberations Thursday with a brief 8 a.m. speech and will then proceed to LAX for a fast plane to Honolulu, first of 30 cities he, Ayeiy, and Dall visit on their World Tour.
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Jurrjens Confirms Sit Out of Monday Exhibition Due to Illness, May Also Sit Out Oct. 28 Edelyn Exh.
-Morro Bay, Ca.
-One chef who will be sitting out the second-to-last exhibition before Thanksgiving here in San Luis Obispo County's Morro Bay on Monday, will be Jawroldy Jurrjens.
The 29-year-old, Amsterdam-based Jurrjens was diagnosed Saturday with a case of mononucleosis. Jurrjens said that he was advised to "take it easy" and to not make the 5,558-mile transatlantic, transcontinental trip to Morro Bay.
Mononucleosis is a mild but persnickety disease, and it can take one to two months to recover. A doctor called Jurrjens' case "mild," saying that he "should be able to participate in Feast Fest" come Nov. 22.
However, the sickness is also likely to sideline Jurrjens from the final exhibition of the year, on Sunday, October 28, at Edelyn Cooking Arena in Punta Gorda, Fla.
-One chef who will be sitting out the second-to-last exhibition before Thanksgiving here in San Luis Obispo County's Morro Bay on Monday, will be Jawroldy Jurrjens.
The 29-year-old, Amsterdam-based Jurrjens was diagnosed Saturday with a case of mononucleosis. Jurrjens said that he was advised to "take it easy" and to not make the 5,558-mile transatlantic, transcontinental trip to Morro Bay.
Mononucleosis is a mild but persnickety disease, and it can take one to two months to recover. A doctor called Jurrjens' case "mild," saying that he "should be able to participate in Feast Fest" come Nov. 22.
However, the sickness is also likely to sideline Jurrjens from the final exhibition of the year, on Sunday, October 28, at Edelyn Cooking Arena in Punta Gorda, Fla.
Correction
A post regarding Lindbergh Merrssff being chosen for the 2012 Feast Fest Guest of Honorship may have misleadingly stated where the 76-year-old former Feast Fest fixture lives.
The article said that Merrssff "lives three hours ahead of Feast Fest headquarters on Long Island." The article should have said that Merrssff "lives on Long Island, three hours ahead of Feast Fest headquarters."
Feast Fest is headquartered in California.
The article said that Merrssff "lives three hours ahead of Feast Fest headquarters on Long Island." The article should have said that Merrssff "lives on Long Island, three hours ahead of Feast Fest headquarters."
Feast Fest is headquartered in California.
Caccicci Lowers Offer Minimum
-Rome
-Italian master Armando Caccicci has lowered his minimum Feast Fest offer by $100,000, he announced Saturday.
Caccicci lowered his minimum offer demand from $750,000 to $650,000, in hopes of bolstering talks between he and Feast Fest for a deal to get him in Feast Fest 2013.
Caccicci has had strained relations with FF all offseason long, but he hopes the latest offer descent will bring scouters back to the bargaining table. Caccicci originally refused to accept offers below $850,000; this is the second time he's lowered his minimum amount.
"We appreciate Caccicci's lowering," said Scouter Steve Peckmynall upon hearing the news Saturday. "He seems to finally realize the amount he needs to float down to before we can reasonably undergo constructive, conducive talks, and we thank him for lowering his limits." Peckmynall said that FF wants to offer Caccicci $602,000. "Although this amount of $650,000 is still far above our amount, it brings us closer to a compromise."
Scouters and Caccicci have no date set to meet again, but Peckmynall remarked that "We'll probably meet with each other once again before this year's Feast Fest, and then ramp talks up more in December once it's concluded."
Head Scouter Jim Dall could not be reached for comment Saturday, but Peckmynall called him "appreciative" of Caccicci's actions.
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-Italian master Armando Caccicci has lowered his minimum Feast Fest offer by $100,000, he announced Saturday.
Caccicci lowered his minimum offer demand from $750,000 to $650,000, in hopes of bolstering talks between he and Feast Fest for a deal to get him in Feast Fest 2013.
Caccicci has had strained relations with FF all offseason long, but he hopes the latest offer descent will bring scouters back to the bargaining table. Caccicci originally refused to accept offers below $850,000; this is the second time he's lowered his minimum amount.
"We appreciate Caccicci's lowering," said Scouter Steve Peckmynall upon hearing the news Saturday. "He seems to finally realize the amount he needs to float down to before we can reasonably undergo constructive, conducive talks, and we thank him for lowering his limits." Peckmynall said that FF wants to offer Caccicci $602,000. "Although this amount of $650,000 is still far above our amount, it brings us closer to a compromise."
Scouters and Caccicci have no date set to meet again, but Peckmynall remarked that "We'll probably meet with each other once again before this year's Feast Fest, and then ramp talks up more in December once it's concluded."
Head Scouter Jim Dall could not be reached for comment Saturday, but Peckmynall called him "appreciative" of Caccicci's actions.
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Friday, October 19, 2012
Moore Wins Flashiest
-New York
-Ashton Moore, previously known simply as "Moore", has won his second consecutive NCA's Flashiest award and his third in four years.
Lynn Avi finished fourth in the voting. Moore, who was born "Ashton Moore", changed his name to his birth name in January.
"I am elated," Moore said in a brief statement.
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-Ashton Moore, previously known simply as "Moore", has won his second consecutive NCA's Flashiest award and his third in four years.
Lynn Avi finished fourth in the voting. Moore, who was born "Ashton Moore", changed his name to his birth name in January.
"I am elated," Moore said in a brief statement.
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Merrssff Snags GOH for 2nd Consecutive Year
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-It was announced Friday that Lindbergh Merrssff, the retired 76-year-old Feast Fest fixture, will be receiving the FF 2012 Guest of Honorship for the second consecutive year. Merrssff was also picked in 2011.
"After three rounds of voting, our unanimously approved choice was to have Merrssff as our GOH again," remarked Executive Manager William Vanderbilt. "It is a title we are elated and ebullient to bestow upon him."
The aging Merrssff still travels to Feast Fest every year and remains a part of it in a tangent way as a kitchen inspector. Merrssff could not be reached upon the 7:30 p.m. PDT announcement Friday. His agent said that Merrssff lives three hours ahead of Feast Fest headquarters on Long Island and that he is "early to bed, early to rise."
The agent, however, said that Merrssff would be "ecstatic."
Merrssff will receive the Ceremonial Turkey cooked by the Mason Duo and Jim McAllister as the main perk of his GOHship.
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-It was announced Friday that Lindbergh Merrssff, the retired 76-year-old Feast Fest fixture, will be receiving the FF 2012 Guest of Honorship for the second consecutive year. Merrssff was also picked in 2011.
"After three rounds of voting, our unanimously approved choice was to have Merrssff as our GOH again," remarked Executive Manager William Vanderbilt. "It is a title we are elated and ebullient to bestow upon him."
The aging Merrssff still travels to Feast Fest every year and remains a part of it in a tangent way as a kitchen inspector. Merrssff could not be reached upon the 7:30 p.m. PDT announcement Friday. His agent said that Merrssff lives three hours ahead of Feast Fest headquarters on Long Island and that he is "early to bed, early to rise."
The agent, however, said that Merrssff would be "ecstatic."
Merrssff will receive the Ceremonial Turkey cooked by the Mason Duo and Jim McAllister as the main perk of his GOHship.
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Chu Blasts Dreim
Feast Fest chef Jon Chu blasted scandal-stricken FFer in a series of tweets Friday that some said went too far.
Chu tweeted: "Hope FF does not re-sign that absolute jerk @FeastFestDreim"; "absolute idiocy is the only thing that could lead to re-signing of that haughty, insufferable and condescending @FeastFestDreim"; "i [sic] must say i [sic] worked on the same line of power as @FeastFestDreim for five Feast Fests and hes [sic] the most incorrigible person its [sic] ever been my displeasure to work with"; and "@FeastFestDreim was right to resign he'll never embody the spirit we look for at Feast Fest, hes an all out jerk."
Attempts to reach Chu or Chu's agent were unsuccessful. FF Executive Assistant Arthur Ayeiy remarked, "While we want the chefs' honest opinions of Dreim to aid us in whether or not to have him rejoin our event, we believe Chu's insults crossed a line."
Nine chefs, including Chu, have condemned Dreim, while another nine have defended him.
"It's a mixed bag with Steve Dreim," said Chef Jack Mark, who is one of the few chefs with a neutral view of the fixture. "You love him or you hate him, that's why he's Steve Dreim. As one of the small number of chefs who views Dreim neutrally, I'll say none of Chu's or anyone else's remarks surprise me."
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Chu tweeted: "Hope FF does not re-sign that absolute jerk @FeastFestDreim"; "absolute idiocy is the only thing that could lead to re-signing of that haughty, insufferable and condescending @FeastFestDreim"; "i [sic] must say i [sic] worked on the same line of power as @FeastFestDreim for five Feast Fests and hes [sic] the most incorrigible person its [sic] ever been my displeasure to work with"; and "@FeastFestDreim was right to resign he'll never embody the spirit we look for at Feast Fest, hes an all out jerk."
Attempts to reach Chu or Chu's agent were unsuccessful. FF Executive Assistant Arthur Ayeiy remarked, "While we want the chefs' honest opinions of Dreim to aid us in whether or not to have him rejoin our event, we believe Chu's insults crossed a line."
Nine chefs, including Chu, have condemned Dreim, while another nine have defended him.
"It's a mixed bag with Steve Dreim," said Chef Jack Mark, who is one of the few chefs with a neutral view of the fixture. "You love him or you hate him, that's why he's Steve Dreim. As one of the small number of chefs who views Dreim neutrally, I'll say none of Chu's or anyone else's remarks surprise me."
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Ainenl and FF to Collaborate Again
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-It has been confirmed that one of the many purposes of the 30-city, 11-day World Tour to be taken by William Vanderbilt, Jim Dall, and Arthur Ayeiy will be to meet with the Parisian master Claudien Ainenl in Paris and with his agent in Budapest, Hungary.
Ainenl and FF negotiated heavily in 2011 in hopes of signing him to a 2012 deal. However, while Ainenl and Feast Fest were on good terms, FF scouters struggled to move past Ainenl's agent, and talks sputtered to a trickle in February.
In August, Ainenl announced he had hired a new agent in hopes of bolstering discussions with Feast Fest. Ainenl and Dall web-chatted Sept. 23, but that's the only talk the two sides have had since the new agent came in, due to preoccupation with more pressing issues.
However, meetings with both Ainenl and his new agent, Rscuscka Mijoppa, are scheduled for Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, respectively. "We're finally going to get back to talks with this extraordinary chef, and we're very pleased about that," Dall said late in the day Friday.
Mijoppa released a statement saying, "I am looking forward to collaborating with the executives at Feast Fest in order to ensure my client can make a fair, proper, and prosperous deal with this event."
Ainenl and FF talked much in fall 2011 and winter 2011-12 in hopes of adding him to the 2012 Feast Fest squad. His old agent refused to accept contract offers below $900,000, even when the chef himself was willing to go lower in the numbers. "His own agent was actually restricting his own options," Mijoppa wrote, "and he did not like that at all. That is why he came to and hired me. I will make recommendations to Mr. Ainenl, but I will not stifle the negotiations unreasonably in the way that his old agent did."
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-It has been confirmed that one of the many purposes of the 30-city, 11-day World Tour to be taken by William Vanderbilt, Jim Dall, and Arthur Ayeiy will be to meet with the Parisian master Claudien Ainenl in Paris and with his agent in Budapest, Hungary.
Ainenl and FF negotiated heavily in 2011 in hopes of signing him to a 2012 deal. However, while Ainenl and Feast Fest were on good terms, FF scouters struggled to move past Ainenl's agent, and talks sputtered to a trickle in February.
In August, Ainenl announced he had hired a new agent in hopes of bolstering discussions with Feast Fest. Ainenl and Dall web-chatted Sept. 23, but that's the only talk the two sides have had since the new agent came in, due to preoccupation with more pressing issues.
However, meetings with both Ainenl and his new agent, Rscuscka Mijoppa, are scheduled for Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, respectively. "We're finally going to get back to talks with this extraordinary chef, and we're very pleased about that," Dall said late in the day Friday.
Mijoppa released a statement saying, "I am looking forward to collaborating with the executives at Feast Fest in order to ensure my client can make a fair, proper, and prosperous deal with this event."
Ainenl and FF talked much in fall 2011 and winter 2011-12 in hopes of adding him to the 2012 Feast Fest squad. His old agent refused to accept contract offers below $900,000, even when the chef himself was willing to go lower in the numbers. "His own agent was actually restricting his own options," Mijoppa wrote, "and he did not like that at all. That is why he came to and hired me. I will make recommendations to Mr. Ainenl, but I will not stifle the negotiations unreasonably in the way that his old agent did."
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Correction
An article showing the itinerary for Jim Dall, William Vanderbilt, and Arthur Ayeiy's eleven-day World Tour for scouting and contract negotiation and verification purposes incorrectly said that the threesome will be visiting Dallas, Phoenix, and San Francisco on Nov. 4. Rather, the threesome's itinerary for that day is Houston, Phoenix, and San Francisco.
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Dall, Vanderbilt, Ayeiy Announce 11-Day World Tour
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Head Scouter Jim Dall, Executive Manager William Vanderbilt, and Executive Assistant Arthur Ayeiy have announced an eleven-day World Tour to verify the contracts of returning Feast Fest chefs and to scout out potential grabs for the 2012-13 offseason, which begins in December. The threesome is also scheduled to visit Punta Gorda, Fla., on Sun., Oct. 28, for the final pre-Feast Fest exhibition at Edelyn Cooking Arena.
The tour itinerary was announced as thus:
October 25 - Los Angeles, Honolulu - REDEYE FLIGHT HNL-NRT
October 26 - Tokyo, Osaka, Nagano, Manila - REDEYE FLIGHT MNL-YVR
October 27 - Vancouver, Denver
October 28 - Dallas, Punta Gorda, Fla.
October 29 - Washington, Philadelphia, Chicago
October 30 - Toronto, Montréal, Boston - REDEYE FLIGHT BOS-LHR
October 31 - London, Paris
November 1 - Rome, Munich, Budapest - REDEYE FLIGHT BUD-OSL
November 2 - Oslo, Reykjavík, Tampa
November 3 - Freeport, Bah., San Juan, P.R., Cancún, México City - REDEYE FLIGHT MEX-DFW
November 4 - Dallas, Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles
The tour will see the threesome visiting 30 cities in 11 days, and will have to resort to the use of red-eye flights five times.
The tour was originally scheduled to visit the 30 cities over 14 days, but official Feast Fest business that requires Dall, Vanderbilt, and Ayeiy to be home in Los Angeles by Mon., Nov. 5 caused the trip to be condensed to 11 days.
A similar trip involving the threesome in October 2010 saw Vanderbilt, Dall, and Ayeiy visiting 27 cities in 12 days.
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-Head Scouter Jim Dall, Executive Manager William Vanderbilt, and Executive Assistant Arthur Ayeiy have announced an eleven-day World Tour to verify the contracts of returning Feast Fest chefs and to scout out potential grabs for the 2012-13 offseason, which begins in December. The threesome is also scheduled to visit Punta Gorda, Fla., on Sun., Oct. 28, for the final pre-Feast Fest exhibition at Edelyn Cooking Arena.
The tour itinerary was announced as thus:
October 25 - Los Angeles, Honolulu - REDEYE FLIGHT HNL-NRT
October 26 - Tokyo, Osaka, Nagano, Manila - REDEYE FLIGHT MNL-YVR
October 27 - Vancouver, Denver
October 28 - Dallas, Punta Gorda, Fla.
October 29 - Washington, Philadelphia, Chicago
October 30 - Toronto, Montréal, Boston - REDEYE FLIGHT BOS-LHR
October 31 - London, Paris
November 1 - Rome, Munich, Budapest - REDEYE FLIGHT BUD-OSL
November 2 - Oslo, Reykjavík, Tampa
November 3 - Freeport, Bah., San Juan, P.R., Cancún, México City - REDEYE FLIGHT MEX-DFW
November 4 - Dallas, Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles
The tour will see the threesome visiting 30 cities in 11 days, and will have to resort to the use of red-eye flights five times.
The tour was originally scheduled to visit the 30 cities over 14 days, but official Feast Fest business that requires Dall, Vanderbilt, and Ayeiy to be home in Los Angeles by Mon., Nov. 5 caused the trip to be condensed to 11 days.
A similar trip involving the threesome in October 2010 saw Vanderbilt, Dall, and Ayeiy visiting 27 cities in 12 days.
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Talks with Dreim Accomplish Little
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Feast Fest fixture Stephen Dreim is still at odds with Feast Fest after four hours of talks.
-Feast Fest fixture Stephen Dreim is still at odds with Feast Fest after four hours of talks.
Dreim was cleared of any involvement in a bribery scandal Thursday, but Dreim, infuriated with the tarnishings of his name during an independent investigation, resigned mere hours before he was declared innocent and the investigation concluded.
FF was able to coax a defiant Dreim back into talks Friday morning, but the former third-line-of-power chef remained stiff. "I will not return to this event unless I receive a formal apology and compensation for the emotionally scarring road this event has put me through this week," Dreim announced. Dreim is requesting a formal apology and $1,500 compensation, and that's before he's even willing to launch into talks.
The matter didn't get far Friday as some Feast Fest chef came forward and advised the event to let go of Dreim, complaining of "self-centeredness" and "haughtiness" on the part of the chef, two qualities deeply frowned upon in FF chefs. One chef even compared Dreim to the notoriously conceited Ashton Moore.
Others, however, stood up for Dreim. "Dreim is a great addition to Feast Fest, and I fail to understand those who call him selfish and haughty," Co-Head Chef Jim McAllister Chef. In addition, Co-Assistant Head Sous Chef Joe Pasik spoke up in favor of the fellow Brayton Hill alumnus.
A tally taken around 2 p.m. Friday showed that nine chefs had come to FF execs in support of Dreim and that eight had condemned him.
"This is something we need to look into further," said a Feast Fest executive who refused to provide her bame because she claimed to be unauthorized to speak on the issue. If Steve Dreim, she remarked, "is viewed negatively to the point where bringing him back would stir an uneasy or volatile atmosphere among chefs, or if he is viewed negatively to the point where chefs breathed a sigh of relief when he resigned...we don't want to put them in [that] sort of position."
Talks will break over the weekend.
For the time being, Dreim has been scratched from the chef list for Monday's Windows on the Water Exhibition because he was not re-signed to Feast Fest today as had been predicted.
"We're in not as good a place with talks with Dreim as we wish we were," said Feast Fest Executive Assistant Arthur Ayeiy. "Say we're driving up the California coast, we thought we'd be in San Francisco by now and we're only in, say, Santa Barbara. Dreim's defiance and stubbornness has been a setback for us in these negotiations."
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WiFF: The Week in Feast Fest: Friday, October 19, 2012 - Thursday, October 25, 2012
Friday, 10/19 - General Executive Convention
Saturday, 10/20 - No unique activities scheduled
Sunday, 10/21 - Okoworths, Alakishi at California Asia Cuisine Festival - FF chefs Ai Okoworth, Lisa Choi and Kiromi Alakishi and former FF chef Mei Okoworth to appear at the annual event in Richmond, Ca.
Monday, 10/22 - EXHIBITION! The second-to-last exhibition, at Windows on the Water, Morro Bay, CA
Fall Meeting & Conference Week Begins - Executives/Scouters Only as Chefs will be in Morro Bay for exhibition
Tuesday, 10/23 - No unique activities scheduled.
Wednesday, 10/24 - Scouters' Wednesday - The official Scouting Report for the 2011-2012 offseason is released.
Thursday, 10/25 - Managerial Thursday - The official Managerial Report for the 2011-2012 offseason is released.
Monday, 10/22 - Friday, 10/26 - Feast Fest Fall Meeting & Conference
Birthdays!
10/22 - Ai Okoworth
10/25 - Lindbergh Merrssff (fmr. chef)
Next WiFF - Friday, October 26, 2012 - Thursday, November 1, 2012
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Saturday, 10/20 - No unique activities scheduled
Sunday, 10/21 - Okoworths, Alakishi at California Asia Cuisine Festival - FF chefs Ai Okoworth, Lisa Choi and Kiromi Alakishi and former FF chef Mei Okoworth to appear at the annual event in Richmond, Ca.
Monday, 10/22 - EXHIBITION! The second-to-last exhibition, at Windows on the Water, Morro Bay, CA
Fall Meeting & Conference Week Begins - Executives/Scouters Only as Chefs will be in Morro Bay for exhibition
Tuesday, 10/23 - No unique activities scheduled.
Wednesday, 10/24 - Scouters' Wednesday - The official Scouting Report for the 2011-2012 offseason is released.
Thursday, 10/25 - Managerial Thursday - The official Managerial Report for the 2011-2012 offseason is released.
Monday, 10/22 - Friday, 10/26 - Feast Fest Fall Meeting & Conference
Birthdays!
10/22 - Ai Okoworth
10/25 - Lindbergh Merrssff (fmr. chef)
Next WiFF - Friday, October 26, 2012 - Thursday, November 1, 2012
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Thursday, October 18, 2012
Dreim Cleared - Next Step Is Getting the Fixture Back
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Stephen Dreim has been officially cleared of any and all involvements in a bribery scandal that involved two Feast Fest newcomer chefs that won't even see action Nov. 22 due to their firings Monday.
The independent investigation concluded that Dreim's $52,750 raise had been failed to be preannounced to execs due to "a clerical error", and that of the six scouters accused of taking bribes from Dutch chefs Anah di Vri and Peter di Vris in August, only one worked as part of a four-scouter team negotiating Dreim's raise. "The three other scouters...were not even aware of the di Vris/de Vri scandal at the time they negotiated with Dreim," said Head Scouter Jim Dall, joining the investigation fresh off a private jet from Tunbridge, Vt., where he finished a four-day, four-state chef contract negotiation trip Thursday.
So Dreim's name is cleared, and now both parties can put this behind them and go off all happy into Nov. 22, right?
Wrong.
That WOULD be the case, only Dreim resigned Thursday morning, a mere eight hours before his name was cleared, incensed with the allegations of bribery being put to his name. "Dreim felt his image and name were being slandered, and we understand that," Dall said. "Now we must work on patching up our relationship with him."
But, should he wish not to return, feeling permanently alienated, "we must respect that decision."
FF will meet with Dreim Friday.
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-Stephen Dreim has been officially cleared of any and all involvements in a bribery scandal that involved two Feast Fest newcomer chefs that won't even see action Nov. 22 due to their firings Monday.
The independent investigation concluded that Dreim's $52,750 raise had been failed to be preannounced to execs due to "a clerical error", and that of the six scouters accused of taking bribes from Dutch chefs Anah di Vri and Peter di Vris in August, only one worked as part of a four-scouter team negotiating Dreim's raise. "The three other scouters...were not even aware of the di Vris/de Vri scandal at the time they negotiated with Dreim," said Head Scouter Jim Dall, joining the investigation fresh off a private jet from Tunbridge, Vt., where he finished a four-day, four-state chef contract negotiation trip Thursday.
So Dreim's name is cleared, and now both parties can put this behind them and go off all happy into Nov. 22, right?
Wrong.
That WOULD be the case, only Dreim resigned Thursday morning, a mere eight hours before his name was cleared, incensed with the allegations of bribery being put to his name. "Dreim felt his image and name were being slandered, and we understand that," Dall said. "Now we must work on patching up our relationship with him."
But, should he wish not to return, feeling permanently alienated, "we must respect that decision."
FF will meet with Dreim Friday.
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Dall Flying Home
-Montpelier, Vt.
-Head Scouter Jim Dall is aboard a private jet, flying back to Feast Fest headquarters in Los Angeles after a four-day, four-state newcomer chef contract verification swing. Here's a rundown of what the Feast Fest Scouting Department Head accomplished during his East Coast travels:
--- Visited Bonita Springs, Fla., home of newcomer chef Patti Anriyyi, and negotiated contract extensions with her. Anriyyi wished for a multiple-year contract but only received a one-year contract. Anriyyi ultimately agreed to a two-year, $298,457-per-year deal, with a 2014 option.
--- Visited Oxford, N.C. Tuesday to negotiate contract amounts with newcomer chef Alan Johns. Johns accepted a $323,451 one-year deal, up from an original $316,454 two-year deal. Dall also visited the Jenkins family of Feast Fest Official Culinary Provider L.A. Wild at their family farm in Ingleside, N.C., Tuesday and Wednesday, where (see separate article) Jan Jenkins, while giving Dall a tour of the farm, lost control of his pickup truck and drove it into the side of a barn. All three aboard, Jan, wife Suzy, and Dall, were uninjured.
--- Visited Stroudsburg, Penn. Wednesday to try to quell a newcomer chef, Brent Bruskins, who wished for a $310,000 contract raise from his original $345,000 offer, as well as a fourth-line-of-power spot instead of the sixth-line-of-power slot he was originally offered. Dall and Bruskins compromised on a $453,177 deal and a fifth-line-of-power spot.
--- Visited Tunbridge, Vt. Thursday (see separate article) and gave Tony Ruscoso a $231,000 deal, up from an original $91,234 offering.
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-Head Scouter Jim Dall is aboard a private jet, flying back to Feast Fest headquarters in Los Angeles after a four-day, four-state newcomer chef contract verification swing. Here's a rundown of what the Feast Fest Scouting Department Head accomplished during his East Coast travels:
--- Visited Bonita Springs, Fla., home of newcomer chef Patti Anriyyi, and negotiated contract extensions with her. Anriyyi wished for a multiple-year contract but only received a one-year contract. Anriyyi ultimately agreed to a two-year, $298,457-per-year deal, with a 2014 option.
--- Visited Oxford, N.C. Tuesday to negotiate contract amounts with newcomer chef Alan Johns. Johns accepted a $323,451 one-year deal, up from an original $316,454 two-year deal. Dall also visited the Jenkins family of Feast Fest Official Culinary Provider L.A. Wild at their family farm in Ingleside, N.C., Tuesday and Wednesday, where (see separate article) Jan Jenkins, while giving Dall a tour of the farm, lost control of his pickup truck and drove it into the side of a barn. All three aboard, Jan, wife Suzy, and Dall, were uninjured.
--- Visited Stroudsburg, Penn. Wednesday to try to quell a newcomer chef, Brent Bruskins, who wished for a $310,000 contract raise from his original $345,000 offer, as well as a fourth-line-of-power spot instead of the sixth-line-of-power slot he was originally offered. Dall and Bruskins compromised on a $453,177 deal and a fifth-line-of-power spot.
--- Visited Tunbridge, Vt. Thursday (see separate article) and gave Tony Ruscoso a $231,000 deal, up from an original $91,234 offering.
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Ruscoso Seals $231K deal
-Tunbridge, Vt.
-Feast Fest newcomer Tony Ruscoso was able to slam down a $231,000 deal Thursday following intense negotiations with Head Scouter Jim Dall.
The Vermont-based Italian-American chef at a 4-star Vermont mountain resort had signed with FF in June, but received a notoriously low $91,234 at signing for a seventh-line-of-power slot. The Scouting Department originally said that they gave him a very low offer because "[Ruscoso] is likely to be a one-year chef." They came to this conclusion due to a gaffe Ruscoso made, saying he was "looking forward" to "experimenting" with his culinary career by joining Feast Fest, the word "experimenting" making scouters think Ruscoso did not plan to become a fixture with the event. Thus, they offered him $91,234 at signing, the lowest entry-level offer in six years, with $114,233 for a 2013 extension and $189,534 for a 2014 extension. "Tis is a year-by-year, take-it-as-we-go contract, to conform with Ruscoso's wishes for 'experimentation'," so said Scouter Mike Meeckley Jun. 28.
Dall swung through Vermont Thursday to visit Ruscoso, where Ruscoco claimed that the "experimentation" remark was a "badly chosen, out-of-thin-air term that was not meant to display the message that I would be a come-and-go chef." Rather, "I have been following Feast Fest for years and wish to become a fixture within it," Ruscoso clarified.
Thus, Dall and Ruscoso came to terms with a three-year, $231,000 deal, with an option for 2015 which could deal Ruscoso anywhere from $209,000 to $272,000 per year, depending on his performance at the event.
Still, even with the major raise, Ruscoso will still harbor the second-lowest chef contract for 2012; only Jane Jockell, set to cradle $227,450 this November, will rake in less. (The Mason Duo have the highest contracts: $924,332 each this Thanksgiving.)
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-Feast Fest newcomer Tony Ruscoso was able to slam down a $231,000 deal Thursday following intense negotiations with Head Scouter Jim Dall.
The Vermont-based Italian-American chef at a 4-star Vermont mountain resort had signed with FF in June, but received a notoriously low $91,234 at signing for a seventh-line-of-power slot. The Scouting Department originally said that they gave him a very low offer because "[Ruscoso] is likely to be a one-year chef." They came to this conclusion due to a gaffe Ruscoso made, saying he was "looking forward" to "experimenting" with his culinary career by joining Feast Fest, the word "experimenting" making scouters think Ruscoso did not plan to become a fixture with the event. Thus, they offered him $91,234 at signing, the lowest entry-level offer in six years, with $114,233 for a 2013 extension and $189,534 for a 2014 extension. "Tis is a year-by-year, take-it-as-we-go contract, to conform with Ruscoso's wishes for 'experimentation'," so said Scouter Mike Meeckley Jun. 28.
Dall swung through Vermont Thursday to visit Ruscoso, where Ruscoco claimed that the "experimentation" remark was a "badly chosen, out-of-thin-air term that was not meant to display the message that I would be a come-and-go chef." Rather, "I have been following Feast Fest for years and wish to become a fixture within it," Ruscoso clarified.
Thus, Dall and Ruscoso came to terms with a three-year, $231,000 deal, with an option for 2015 which could deal Ruscoso anywhere from $209,000 to $272,000 per year, depending on his performance at the event.
Still, even with the major raise, Ruscoso will still harbor the second-lowest chef contract for 2012; only Jane Jockell, set to cradle $227,450 this November, will rake in less. (The Mason Duo have the highest contracts: $924,332 each this Thanksgiving.)
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• DREIM RESIGNS •
-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-In a threatened but still shocking move Thursday, Feast Fest fixture Stephen Dreim has announced his resignation from Feast Fest after being investigated as part of a bribery scheme that led to the Monday firing of two Dutch newcomer chefs.
-In a threatened but still shocking move Thursday, Feast Fest fixture Stephen Dreim has announced his resignation from Feast Fest after being investigated as part of a bribery scheme that led to the Monday firing of two Dutch newcomer chefs.
"This was Mr. Dreim's choice," said Arthur Ayeiy, Feast Fest Executive Assistant, who spoke on behalf of Head Scouter Jim Dall, who is in the middle of an East Coast contract negotiation swing. "We never said to Mr. Dreim that he was obligated to leave our event, and the fact that he has chosen to do so is to us deeply saddening." Ayeiy said that the FF team was not going to let the issue drop, however. "Mr. Dreim claims wholeheartedly that he has no connections to the bribery scandal involving [Dutch newcomer chefs Anah] de Vri and [Peter] di Vris, and we wish to believe him. However, Dreim resigned before we were able to reasonably conclude our investigation. We will be continuing our investigation into this incident, and, if we find, as we believe, that Mr. Dreim is innocent, we will try to pursue renegotiation and re-signing to the event for Mr. Dreim."
Dreim received a $50,000 raise one day after de Vri and di Vris each received $469,000 raises. Those raises were illegitimately received due to bribes the Amsterdam-based newcomers had issued to scouters. Dreim was included in the investigation for three reasons: 1) His raise, though $419, 000 less than de Vri and di Vris' raises, still falls considerably above the average one-year raise range for a Feast Fest chef, which is $5,000 to $25,000, 2) the raise's proximity to the Dutch chefs' raises, and 3) the fact that none of the three questioned raises were preannounced to Feast Fest executives, as is policy, before being announced to the public. This last factor happens occasionally and is not unheard of; for example, completely legitimate Jim McAllister and Lynn Avi raises in 2007 and 2010, respectively, failed to be preannounced simply because of clerical errors.
Head Scouter Dall released a brief statement by phone from Tunbridge, Vt., saying in part, "The resignation of Steve Dreim is a true sorrow. I hope that we can clear his name in this scandal and get him back in the kitchen on Nov. 22, given, of course, we can patch up our shaken relations with him."
The consensus across Feast Fest's hierarchy early Thursday seemed to be that Dreim was never under serious interrogation, that he was only included in the investigation as a precaution and to wholly ensure that he did NOT have connections to the de Vri/di Vris incident, and that Dreim can and should be signed back once the investigation is over. The investigation, scheduled to conclude sometime next week, is widely expected to find that Dreim has no connections to the bribery incident.
Dreim, however, has other plans. "I gave Feast Fest the best years of my career," a defiant Dreim cried Thursday before storming out of the Beachview Resort in Marina del Rey, where Feast Fest was convening. "To be betrayed like this, to be slandered and grouped in with these lowdown, shameless chefs... it's a branding that I cannot believe and that I refuse to receive. Thus, for the good of my career and to dispel any 'controversy' that Feast Fest seems to believe I am connected to, I am resigning."
When asked if he would consider re-signing with Feast Fest should he be found innocent and should Feast Fest wish to patch up relations with him, his answer to reporters was one word: "No."
He then slipped into a private limousine, and he had the chauffeur drive Feast Fest straight out of his life.
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