-Marina del Rey, CA
-Mei Okoworth, a Feast Fest chef and brother of fellow FF chef Ai Okoworth, announced late Thursday he would be leaving Feast Fest after the 2011 installment of the event. Details as to the reason are not known and will be discussed at conferences Friday. He stated that his brother Ai is not planning to leave Feast Fest.
The NCA Feast Fest lives here
Friday, October 21, 2011
The Week in Feast Fest: Friday, October 21, 2011 - Thursday, October 27, 2011
Important Feast Fest dates this week:
Friday, 10/21 - The final day of Feast Fest Fall Meeting & Conference Week, more Conferences featuring Vanderbilt, Jim Dall, chefs, and other personalities.
Saturday, 10/22 - Feast Fest Initiation and Celebration Ceremony for New-in-2011 Chefs in Marina del Rey, Ca.
Sunday, 10/23 - Fall Leaving Day: Chefs, managers, personnel leave the Beachview Resort and will not return to it until a week or so before Thanksgiving. Autographs, photo taking, when permissible by the chef, is allowed.
Monday, 10/24 - Kitchen Retrofitting Day: The beginning of the two week transformation process of the Dining Hall kitchen from normal status to Feast Fest status. Kitchen Pass Lottery Day! - 150 passes up for grabs!
Tuesday, 10/25 - No unique activities scheduled.
Wednesday, 10/26 - Scouters' Wednesday - The official Scouting Report for the 2010-2011 offseason is released.
Thursday, 10/27 - Managerial Thursday - The official Managerial Report for the 2010-2011 offseason is released.
Birthdays!
10/22 - Ai Okoworth
10/25 - Lindbergh Merrssff (fmr. chef)
10/26 - Gulliaume Jacquetaine, Hillary Wilkin
Next WiFF - Friday, October 28, 2011 - Thursday, November 3, 2011
Friday, 10/21 - The final day of Feast Fest Fall Meeting & Conference Week, more Conferences featuring Vanderbilt, Jim Dall, chefs, and other personalities.
Saturday, 10/22 - Feast Fest Initiation and Celebration Ceremony for New-in-2011 Chefs in Marina del Rey, Ca.
Sunday, 10/23 - Fall Leaving Day: Chefs, managers, personnel leave the Beachview Resort and will not return to it until a week or so before Thanksgiving. Autographs, photo taking, when permissible by the chef, is allowed.
Monday, 10/24 - Kitchen Retrofitting Day: The beginning of the two week transformation process of the Dining Hall kitchen from normal status to Feast Fest status. Kitchen Pass Lottery Day! - 150 passes up for grabs!
Tuesday, 10/25 - No unique activities scheduled.
Wednesday, 10/26 - Scouters' Wednesday - The official Scouting Report for the 2010-2011 offseason is released.
Thursday, 10/27 - Managerial Thursday - The official Managerial Report for the 2010-2011 offseason is released.
Birthdays!
10/22 - Ai Okoworth
10/25 - Lindbergh Merrssff (fmr. chef)
10/26 - Gulliaume Jacquetaine, Hillary Wilkin
Next WiFF - Friday, October 28, 2011 - Thursday, November 3, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
More Maintenance
The FF ticketing hotline will again be undergoing maintenance from 6 am PDT/9 am EDT to 11 am PDT/2 pm EDT on Friday, October 21, 2011. We apologize for any inconvenience this may create.
Crowd Blamed For Galen-Ames ER Visit
-Marina del Rey, CA
-The crowd at a Feast Fest conference Thursday morning is being blamed for the hospitalization of Brianna Galen-Ames after she broke her ankle.
-The crowd at a Feast Fest conference Thursday morning is being blamed for the hospitalization of Brianna Galen-Ames after she broke her ankle.
Galen-Ames suffered a broken ankle early Thursday after being booed off the stage at a Feast Fest conference.
On Tuesday, Galen-Ames spoke for about four minutes but had expected remarks of fifteen to twenty minutes. Because the crowd at Tuesday's conference was so harsh, Galen-Ames was ushered off the stage for safety.
She was scheduled to speak again on the matter of her possible return to Feast Fest in 2012 at a Conference on Thursday. However, despite additional security, the crowd was just as raucous and Galen-Ames again had to be removed from the stage. She then broke her ankle after she stormed out of the Conference hall in anger and slipped on a waxed floor. Galen-Ames was taken to Centinela Hospital, where she was X-rayed, given a cast, and sent back to the Beachview Resort. She was planning to leave the L.A. area Friday to return to her rural central Illinois home.
The teenaged culinary maven had no direct comments to reporters when she returned to the Beachview Resort from the hospital, where she had spent about four hours getting X-rays and a cast. She said she would not speak on the matter and that she simply wanted to go up to her hotel room to recuperate and rest for her flight back to Illinois tomorrow.
FF Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt said in a prepared comment, "The Feast Fest Family is deeply regretful to hear of the injury this morning to Brianna Galen-Ames. If the crowd at the Conference had been quieter and polite, she would not have stormed out of the hall and suffered this affliction. We wish Brianna well and hope that this stunning chef will be able to successfully recuperate from her broken bone at her home in Illinois. We also hope that when she is all well again that we at Feast Fest can come to an agreement that satisfies everybody and re-add this culinary prodigy back to our Feast Fest team for 2012."
Vanderbilt had no further comment.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
RELEASED--The 2012 Exhibition Schedule
-Marina del Rey, CA
-FF officials officially released the 2012 schedule of Feast Fest offseason exhibitions Wednesday. 2012 will see eight exhibitions, up from seven in 2011 and six in 2010, but officials say that eight will probably remain the standard number for at least four or five years beginning in 2012.
The schedule:
Saturday, January 14 @ Kitchen Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
Sunday, January 22 @ U.S. Kitchen Stadium, New York, NY
Sunday, March 25 @ Lala Restaurant, New York, NY
Friday, May 4 @ Edelyn Cooking Arena, Punta Gorda, FL
Sunday, July 1 @ No Restaurant, Boston, MA
Saturday, September 29 @ Windows on the Water Restaurant, Morro Bay, CA
Sunday, October 28 @ Edelyn Cooking Arena, Punta Gorda, FL
Sunday, November 4 @ Notes Restaurant, Long Beach, CA
Joe Pasik will join the list of FF chefs who have their own restaurants used for exhibitions when No in Boston hosts an exhibition. The two other chefs in this group are Lynn Avi (of Lala in New York) and Jim McAllister (of Notes in Long Beach, CA). "It took a lot of time and effort to get the kitchen at No adapted to host a Feast Fest exhibition, but it was well worth it, and I will be more than glad to welcome Feast Fest to Boston next summer," commented Pasik, elated Wednesday upon learning that No had been chosen to host the July 1st Feast Fest exhibition. It will be the first ever FF exhibition in New England.
-FF officials officially released the 2012 schedule of Feast Fest offseason exhibitions Wednesday. 2012 will see eight exhibitions, up from seven in 2011 and six in 2010, but officials say that eight will probably remain the standard number for at least four or five years beginning in 2012.
The schedule:
Saturday, January 14 @ Kitchen Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
Sunday, January 22 @ U.S. Kitchen Stadium, New York, NY
Sunday, March 25 @ Lala Restaurant, New York, NY
Friday, May 4 @ Edelyn Cooking Arena, Punta Gorda, FL
Sunday, July 1 @ No Restaurant, Boston, MA
Saturday, September 29 @ Windows on the Water Restaurant, Morro Bay, CA
Sunday, October 28 @ Edelyn Cooking Arena, Punta Gorda, FL
Sunday, November 4 @ Notes Restaurant, Long Beach, CA
Joe Pasik will join the list of FF chefs who have their own restaurants used for exhibitions when No in Boston hosts an exhibition. The two other chefs in this group are Lynn Avi (of Lala in New York) and Jim McAllister (of Notes in Long Beach, CA). "It took a lot of time and effort to get the kitchen at No adapted to host a Feast Fest exhibition, but it was well worth it, and I will be more than glad to welcome Feast Fest to Boston next summer," commented Pasik, elated Wednesday upon learning that No had been chosen to host the July 1st Feast Fest exhibition. It will be the first ever FF exhibition in New England.
2011 Miniconcert & Sports Schedules
In 2010, Feast Fest for the first time introduced mini concerts on all five days of the event and moved two regional sports teams to Marina del Rey facilities to add to the festivities.
We are pleased to announce that the logistics have been worked out once again for 2011, and the setup will be much similar to last year's.
Miniconcerts will include three tribute bands as well as Inner Vibrancy and (making its second consecutive Feast Fest appearance) The Badly Named Band, but it is not yet known on which days these bands will perform. All performances will be in the Dining Hall, at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and at 7 p.m on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The Manhattan Beach Solars of the UHL , located ten miles south of MDR in Manhattan Beach, will again relocate to play two home games at Marina Arena: against regional rivals the Morro Bay Rox Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. and the California (Sacramento) Sting on Friday at 5:00.
Nearby B.C. Park will provide the stage for the Winter League's Yosemite Boardgamers, who will play their "home" opener 300 miles to the south against the Copper Harbor Bronzefish, Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The GUKF's Los Angeles Barracudas will have a regularly scheduled game Saturday at Marina Arena, but they inhabit the venue throughout the season and thus did not have to move to be close to Feast Fest.
We are pleased to announce that the logistics have been worked out once again for 2011, and the setup will be much similar to last year's.
Miniconcerts will include three tribute bands as well as Inner Vibrancy and (making its second consecutive Feast Fest appearance) The Badly Named Band, but it is not yet known on which days these bands will perform. All performances will be in the Dining Hall, at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and at 7 p.m on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The Manhattan Beach Solars of the UHL , located ten miles south of MDR in Manhattan Beach, will again relocate to play two home games at Marina Arena: against regional rivals the Morro Bay Rox Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. and the California (Sacramento) Sting on Friday at 5:00.
Nearby B.C. Park will provide the stage for the Winter League's Yosemite Boardgamers, who will play their "home" opener 300 miles to the south against the Copper Harbor Bronzefish, Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The GUKF's Los Angeles Barracudas will have a regularly scheduled game Saturday at Marina Arena, but they inhabit the venue throughout the season and thus did not have to move to be close to Feast Fest.
Lucrative deal aims to make the Head Chef's Table a Five-Person Entity
-Marina del Rey, CA
-Scouting Department Head Jim Dall's words about working up Galen-Ames to a Head Chef position for 2013 or 2014 shocked chefs, press and other attendees, but in fact a closeddoor meeting before the conference held with Vanderbilt, Dall, and scouters led to the jawdropping decision to attempt to expand the title of "Head Chef" to five FFers.
Vandy, Dall, and others clearly were not remembering the days of only six or seven years back when just expanding the table to accomodate two chefs was a source of overwhelming controversy.
Jim McAllister's "Head Sous-Chef" position made him a sort of de facto third Head Chef, and from this vantage point the logistics were relatively easy to work out when it was decided in 2010 that Jumpin Jimmy would become an official Head Chef in 2011, joining the Mason Duo.
But the relative ease of that transition was deceiving; now up to five Head Chefs may be in place by as early as FF 2013. Some suggested adding a sixth HC and eliminating the title of Head Sous-Chef entirely.
The rosterjuggling seems easy when you look at it one way. Make current HSC Lynn Avi a Head Chef, getting rid of the HSC designation altogether, and perhaps throw in Big Joe Pasik and Jan Stephan to complete the mix. Then you have all of the six highest rated and most prominent FF chefs all working at the elevated station.
The boondogglish aspects of the plan come into effect when you realize that Brianna Galen-Ames, who was on the 7th (lowest) line of power throughout her whole four-year FF career, would likely be nudged up to become Head Chef numero cuatro by the "Brianna's-vital-to-the-demographic"-spewing scouters. Combine her low NCA rating and her contract offer of $1,000,000 (which is simply to rejoin Feast Fest in 2012 before this new plan takes place; her contract to move up to HC may land her more than $1,500,000), and her standing just wouldn't make sense. And what Chef who might have gone in her place if not for her would get left out? Lynn Avi would certainly become HC #5, and the discriminatory Scouting Dept. would probably choose Jan Stephan over Joe Pasik (though Joe's NCA rating is slightly higher) because "he's younger and handsomer than Joe and will appear more to the young female demographic." (Note quotation marks, meaning that statement was actually spewed out for real, by Scouter Andy MacIntosh in June 2010.)
The Mason duo stated that they felt "okay" with the possibilities, noting that the setup with other top-tier chefs probably wouldn't be much different than it is now, but saying that adding Galen-Ames to the mix, who the Masons have only met several times in passing and whom they've never worked with directly on the Feast Fest floor, could bring confusion.
Again, greed is dominating the future setup possibilities for Feast Fest, giving us what I like to call the greed conundrum. It makes you want to hearken back to simpler, earlier times when there was no greed, but things weren't nearly as good as now. There were the Masons and Jim but no Joe or Lynn or Jan and no 10 million-plus television audience, and things weren't nearly as good because there was no greed. FF has been living the life of Riley because now there is greed.
Maybe if everyone gulps down a big slice of humility pie (pumpkin flavored, of course) we can figure a way to get the components of generosity and success to have an equal sign in between them.
-Scouting Department Head Jim Dall's words about working up Galen-Ames to a Head Chef position for 2013 or 2014 shocked chefs, press and other attendees, but in fact a closeddoor meeting before the conference held with Vanderbilt, Dall, and scouters led to the jawdropping decision to attempt to expand the title of "Head Chef" to five FFers.
Vandy, Dall, and others clearly were not remembering the days of only six or seven years back when just expanding the table to accomodate two chefs was a source of overwhelming controversy.
Jim McAllister's "Head Sous-Chef" position made him a sort of de facto third Head Chef, and from this vantage point the logistics were relatively easy to work out when it was decided in 2010 that Jumpin Jimmy would become an official Head Chef in 2011, joining the Mason Duo.
But the relative ease of that transition was deceiving; now up to five Head Chefs may be in place by as early as FF 2013. Some suggested adding a sixth HC and eliminating the title of Head Sous-Chef entirely.
The rosterjuggling seems easy when you look at it one way. Make current HSC Lynn Avi a Head Chef, getting rid of the HSC designation altogether, and perhaps throw in Big Joe Pasik and Jan Stephan to complete the mix. Then you have all of the six highest rated and most prominent FF chefs all working at the elevated station.
The boondogglish aspects of the plan come into effect when you realize that Brianna Galen-Ames, who was on the 7th (lowest) line of power throughout her whole four-year FF career, would likely be nudged up to become Head Chef numero cuatro by the "Brianna's-vital-to-the-demographic"-spewing scouters. Combine her low NCA rating and her contract offer of $1,000,000 (which is simply to rejoin Feast Fest in 2012 before this new plan takes place; her contract to move up to HC may land her more than $1,500,000), and her standing just wouldn't make sense. And what Chef who might have gone in her place if not for her would get left out? Lynn Avi would certainly become HC #5, and the discriminatory Scouting Dept. would probably choose Jan Stephan over Joe Pasik (though Joe's NCA rating is slightly higher) because "he's younger and handsomer than Joe and will appear more to the young female demographic." (Note quotation marks, meaning that statement was actually spewed out for real, by Scouter Andy MacIntosh in June 2010.)
The Mason duo stated that they felt "okay" with the possibilities, noting that the setup with other top-tier chefs probably wouldn't be much different than it is now, but saying that adding Galen-Ames to the mix, who the Masons have only met several times in passing and whom they've never worked with directly on the Feast Fest floor, could bring confusion.
Again, greed is dominating the future setup possibilities for Feast Fest, giving us what I like to call the greed conundrum. It makes you want to hearken back to simpler, earlier times when there was no greed, but things weren't nearly as good as now. There were the Masons and Jim but no Joe or Lynn or Jan and no 10 million-plus television audience, and things weren't nearly as good because there was no greed. FF has been living the life of Riley because now there is greed.
Maybe if everyone gulps down a big slice of humility pie (pumpkin flavored, of course) we can figure a way to get the components of generosity and success to have an equal sign in between them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)