Dall, Ayeiy Plan Late Scouting Trip to Patch Up Outlying 2015 Contracts, Search for 2016 Talent

-Marina del Rey, Calif.
-Head Scouter Jim Dall and Executive Assistant Arthur Ayeiy announced plans Sunday for a twelve-day scouting trip beginning Wednesday that will see the pair visiting twenty-five chefs in twenty-two cities, in some cases to resolve outlying contract extensions and to scout for some new talent for 2016, as well.

One of the primary goals of the trip will be a visit to Raleigh, N.C., in order to settle contract negotiations for Andruw Stephan, whose contract expired two weeks ago. Stephan will not be eligible for Feast Fest 2015 on Nov. 26 until the contract matter is settled.

Dall and Ayeiy will also be visiting the Vermont home of three-year FF chef Tony Ruscoso, who, like Stephan, is pending a contract extension in order to be able to participate come Thanksgiving.

FF Wire Service

Avi: "The Vets Have To Be Stepping Up and We Haven't Lately"

- Marina del Rey, Calif.

- Feast Fest Head Sous-Chef and nine-year veteran Lynn Avi said in an interview with Competitive Cooking Magazine that she believes that the domination of low-level rookie chefs recently points to a downturn among performance of chefs in Feast Fest's upper echelons.  

It was leaked on Saturday that the upcoming October 8 issue of CCM will feature an interview with Avi, and a segment from that interview was also released.

It was not known what question Avi was answering in this excerpt:

"We have to be better.  It's just that simple.  We have to be better.  The vets, myself and the Duo and Jimmy and the Stephans and Joe and Lisa, we've had some career-worst years here in 2013 and 2014, and not one of us has yet cradled an MVC in this current exhibitional season.  We're just doing downright atrociously.  The lower-level chefs have been shining and getting all of the big points, but it won't lead to a good collective effort unless there is undisputed and decisive leadership setting an example from the top.  The vets have to be stepping up and we haven't lately.  We haven't just been doing that lately.  There comes a time when you sort of have to sit back and examine, you know, what good is the depth doing well if it doesn't contribute to an advanced product overall?  There was a reason that [rookie Eric] NacGnissecorp won the MVC in 2013, there was a reason that [sophomore Ursula] Elfman won it in '14.  We didn't step up and lead from the top.  And if we let this continue then what's gonna happen is that some other new chef with the stars in his or her eyes is gonna get the MVC and more power to them, honestly, but all that will happen really from an organizational standpoint is that we'll end up with another failure to top 99 and the product that Feast Fest is is going to begin to stagnate a little bit here if we don't crank out a 99 or up score this Thanksgiving."

The excerpt is sure to generate some controversy, as it seemed that Avi was insinuating that the rise of prominent rookie and sophomore chefs, such as NacGnissecorp, Elfman, Adam McNeese, and Skarlett Uhaajhaiyjesen, in recent years, is somehow causal when it comes to a string of subpar overall NCA ratings in the last four years.  Feast Fest peaked at 99.0 in 2011 and hasn't matched or exceeded that score since.

FF Wire Service