-St. Petersburg, Russia
-Feast Fest will pick up the tab for a translator for the event's first ever non-English speaking chef following a lengthy dispute, it was determined Tuesday.
The $14,208 may seem like chump change to both Feast Fest and the chef, Konstaatyn Medvalaev, who signed a surprisingly high $634,142 entry-level deal in June. Medvalaev head chefs the most prominent five star restaurant in St. Petersburg, and was a highly sought addition. "Konstaatyn will be a great add-on that will help us get that much closer to the 100 NCA score that eludes us," Head Scouter Jim Dall said at the time.
But a controversy quickly arose over who would pay for a translator to come to Feast Fest as well as exhibitions, the first of which Medvalaev will appear at in October. Plans to have him appear at the Kitchen Stadium exhibition Sept. 5 in Tokyo were stymied by the dispute.
Although Feast Fest recruits culinary talent from throughout the world, and though Medvalaev is the event's 22nd European chef, he's the first to have not at least a rudimentary knowledge of English. It's expected he should pick up the language after a couple years with the event (he signed his deal through 2017), but it became clear during negotiations that he would need a translator in order to perform accurately on the floor. The same translator who helped him through the negotiating process has agreed to accompany Medvalaev to Feast Fest, but announced a $14,208 price tag that Medvalaev's camp refused to pay. Medvalaev's agent pointed to a part of his contract that stated that Feast Fest would be responsible for providing "rudimentary services" that include room, board, medical care, and other travel expenses, but it had to go to the Executive Board to determine whether a translator fell under the umbrella of "rudimentary services."
The Executive Board then voted 6-4 Tuesday that "rudimentary services" included basic translation, and ordered monetary officials and record keepers to list the $14,208 as a Feast Fest expense for 2014.
Analyst Mike Vilshire said, although neither the Executive Board nor Medvalaev would confirm, that Medvalaev's camp was prepared to take legal action over the funds. "They didn't want to get dragged into court and risk alienating their prized offseason acquisition less than two months before the big day, so they said, 'Aw, heck with it, let's just pay it for now.'" But, Vilshire said, "I think they're paying it graciously to placate Medvalaev. I think this issue will come up again, in greater ferocity, next offseason."
FF Wire Service
The NCA Feast Fest lives here
Pages
▼
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
McNeese negotiations continue
-Marina del Rey, Calif.
-Feast Fest scouters are in the process of negotiating a contract extension for Adam McNeese, who joined last year from the New York City Thanksgiving Contest (NYCTC). The Camden, Me.-based chef and his agent have agreed to a two-year extension with a $156,091 payout for Feast Fest 2014, but are at a point of contention over the salary for Feast Fest 2015. McNeese (6/25/86) wants a staggered deal with somewhere between $165,000 and $170,000 in 2015, but scouters want to give him the same $156,091 he'd receive this November.
One cause of the strife is an opt-out option McNeese has requested on his contract. "If he could assure us his presence in 2015, then we'd be more receptive to the idea of a staggered deal," said a scouter who was asked not to be identified because the negotiations are supposed to be closed-door.
The scouter said that his team would meet with McNeese further on Wednesday. The scouting offseason officially ends Friday, but Head Scouter Jim Dall said that McNeese negotiations would be allowed to continue into next week "if the need arises."
"Our hope is that we get a deal in the coming days," he added.
McNeese's agent said that McNeese is "totally committed to signing a contract as swiftly and as painlessly as possible and he is making a concerted effort to be receptive to all offers."
FF Wire Service
-Feast Fest scouters are in the process of negotiating a contract extension for Adam McNeese, who joined last year from the New York City Thanksgiving Contest (NYCTC). The Camden, Me.-based chef and his agent have agreed to a two-year extension with a $156,091 payout for Feast Fest 2014, but are at a point of contention over the salary for Feast Fest 2015. McNeese (6/25/86) wants a staggered deal with somewhere between $165,000 and $170,000 in 2015, but scouters want to give him the same $156,091 he'd receive this November.
One cause of the strife is an opt-out option McNeese has requested on his contract. "If he could assure us his presence in 2015, then we'd be more receptive to the idea of a staggered deal," said a scouter who was asked not to be identified because the negotiations are supposed to be closed-door.
The scouter said that his team would meet with McNeese further on Wednesday. The scouting offseason officially ends Friday, but Head Scouter Jim Dall said that McNeese negotiations would be allowed to continue into next week "if the need arises."
"Our hope is that we get a deal in the coming days," he added.
McNeese's agent said that McNeese is "totally committed to signing a contract as swiftly and as painlessly as possible and he is making a concerted effort to be receptive to all offers."
FF Wire Service
Feast Fest Wants to "Feel Out Atmosphere" for Shelstinnia Before Signing
-Marina del Rey, Calif.
-Feast Fest officials on the Executive Board, Organization Senate, and in other high ranking positions are urging the Scouting Department to hold their horses on a one-year, $510,081 offer for Rina Shelstinnia, which Shelstinnia was rumored to be willing to accept Tuesday.
Executive Assistant Martin Berger said Feast Fest wanted to "feel out [the] atmosphere" among chefs before giving scouters the go-ahead to sign the British maven, who would be signing with Feast Fest for the third time following separate stints in 2006 and 2012 that were rocked by controversy.
Shelstinnia was fired after a 2006 performance in which she only spent 2:16 on the kitchen floor, well below the minimum requirement of 4 hours 30 minutes. Shelstinnia only earned 6 NCA points that year. In 2012, Shelstinnia returned for a 24-point performance and spent 4:37 on the floor, but was still perceived poorly by fellow chefs. Peter Dumas said she was lazy and had to be dragged onto the floor to begin preparations. "She's talented," Dumas said. "But she has a terrible work ethic. I think other chefs will be apprehensive about rehiring her yet again. Enough heads rolled when she rejoined in 2012."
FF Wire Service
-Feast Fest officials on the Executive Board, Organization Senate, and in other high ranking positions are urging the Scouting Department to hold their horses on a one-year, $510,081 offer for Rina Shelstinnia, which Shelstinnia was rumored to be willing to accept Tuesday.
Executive Assistant Martin Berger said Feast Fest wanted to "feel out [the] atmosphere" among chefs before giving scouters the go-ahead to sign the British maven, who would be signing with Feast Fest for the third time following separate stints in 2006 and 2012 that were rocked by controversy.
Shelstinnia was fired after a 2006 performance in which she only spent 2:16 on the kitchen floor, well below the minimum requirement of 4 hours 30 minutes. Shelstinnia only earned 6 NCA points that year. In 2012, Shelstinnia returned for a 24-point performance and spent 4:37 on the floor, but was still perceived poorly by fellow chefs. Peter Dumas said she was lazy and had to be dragged onto the floor to begin preparations. "She's talented," Dumas said. "But she has a terrible work ethic. I think other chefs will be apprehensive about rehiring her yet again. Enough heads rolled when she rejoined in 2012."
FF Wire Service