Dreim Also Under Investigation

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-On the heels of a double-firing of two newcomer Feast Fest chefs for bribery of scouters Monday, FF Executive Asst. Arthur Ayeiy announced Tuesday that a Feast Fest fixture, Stephen Dreim, is also under investigation for possible bribery.

Dutch Newcomers Anah de Vri and Peter di Vris bribed four to seven scouters (the exact number has not yet been determined) to have their salaries for FF 2012 on Nov. 22 upped from $531,000 to a maximum of $1,000,000. Scouters announced the raise Aug. 27.

Dreim entered into the suspicions when it was unveiled that his payment for the coming Feast Fest had been elevated from $581,250 to $634,125 on Aug. 28, one day later.

"Dreim's salary was raised $52,875, which is not an unheard of amount for a raise," said Ayeiy. "It is above the average raise amount, which is between $15,000 and $30,000, but it is not unheard of to have a $50,000 raise. Rather, our suspicions stem from the relative infrequency of such large raises, along with the proximity datewise of the raise to those of de Vri and di Vris', and the fact that we were not notified of the raise until the Scouting Department announced it to the public."

Feast Fest's executive hierarchy is supposed to be notified of all salary changes or raises before the scouters announce it to the public, though on occasion clerical or other errors can lead to anomalies in this system. Whereas the absence of a pre-notice for Dreim's raise was reasoned as due to a "clerical error," no reasons were ever given for the substantially larger raises of de Vri and di Vris.

"We are not implicating Mr. Dreim as someone who collaborated with de Vri and di Vris in this bribery," Ayeiy said early Tuesday. "But a variety of factors force us to open an investigation to ensure the total legitimacy of Dreim's salary and the actions that led to its raise. We wholeheartedly believe that Dreim is not involved in di Vris and de Vri's insubordination."

Dreim filed a statement Tuesday, saying, "I am shocked today to hear of the bribery accusations against me. The actions leading up to and culminating in my raise were totally legitimate, and I believe it is wholly unfair that I should be accused and grouped in with these contemptuous scammers [de Vri and di Vris] simply because my raise came one day after theirs. I did not even know of their raises on the date of my transaction."

Dreim, a popular chef and Feast Fest fixture, is considered "unlikely" to have committed the acts. "If he conspired with di Vris and de Vri, I will be totally shocked," said Head Sous-Chef Lynn Avi, a friend of Dreim's.

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Vanderbilt releases statement on fired chefs

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-In follow up to a very rudimentary statement issued Monday evening stating the firing of newcomers of Anah de Vri and Peter de Vris due to bribery of scouters, William Vanderbilt, Feast Fest Event Mgr., has now issued this more complete statement:

" • • • • DESK - WM. VANDERBILT - FEAST FEST • • • •
• • • • 2012.10.15 PDT 23:43:22 • • • •
• • • • SUBJ.: FIRED CHEFS • • • •

It is my sorrow to announce that, for the first time in six years, we have been forced to expunge from our employment rolls chefs for reasons other than graceful retirement or resignation.
Today, we took a necessary step in the improved feasibility of scouter-chef relations at Feast Fest. We fired two chefs who bribed scouters to achieve raises in their contract offers, and we have barred from our lists a third chef whom our Scouting Department was intending to pursue in 2013. That third chef also bribed scouters in hopes of receiving an exceptionally high offer in the next offseason.
The names of these condemned chefs are Anah de Vri and Peter di Vris. Part of a prominent Dutch threesome, these two were the highlights of our 2012 offseason. They were signed to fourth-line-of-power positions on July 11. Originally, they were offered contracts with values ranging from $487,000 to $536,000, and both eventually settled with Feast Fest on $531,000 offers. The third chef, Keneth de Röuterdäam, was incapable of coming to an agreement with our staff, but said he would be acquiring a new agent in time for 2013, paving way for his name to be put at the top of a list of new chefs to pursue in 2013.
However, these seemingly clean-cut, talented additions to Feast Fest turned out to be masters of secret greed. In August, di Vris and de Vri bribed anywhere from four to seven scouters with $25,000 each to uo their contract offers from $531,000 per year to $1,000,000 per year. No Feast Fest chef had ever had a million dollar contract before, with the Mason Duo raking in $911,576 each in 2011 and $924,332 each in 2012, highest of any chef. In addition, Feast Fest's salary cap is set at $1,000,000 per person.
Many were suspicious on August 27 when the announcement of the salary raise was announced. These suspicions ultimately led to the opening of an investigation. Initially, we believed that the sudden salary upping was solely the work of the scouters and the scouters alone. However, a whistleblower came to us privately last week, saying the chefs had bribed the scouters to achieve this, displaying a check for $25,000 addressed to that scouter from de Vri. Following further investigation, the authenticity of the check and of the bribery ring was verified, at last leading to the difficult decision which we made today.
Additionally, we identified a check of a similar vein sent from de Röuterdäam, paving the way for his addition to the FFSD Barred List. In the upcoming offseason, scouters will be instructed to avoid any and all contact with di Vris, de Vri, and de Röuterdäam; those who make contact with them will be severely reprimanded.
Lastly, to bookend this fiasco, we have filed a petition to a Dutch court to have the threesome litigated or prosecuted against: however, it remains unclear if any illegalities existed in their actions.
Undesirably, this incident will strip Feast Fest of two talented and gifted culinary masters, who simply let their notoriety carry them away. Before their firing, FF was to have eight new chefs for 2012; de Vri and di Vris' termination of all employment will slash that figure to six, still a respectable number.
In conclusion, my associates and I personally urge all employed at Feast Fest to maintain an attitude and atmosphere of professionalism, devotion, dedication, and seriousness in the utmost, in order to uphold the high honor, continually elevating status, and continued prestige of this event. I especially would like everyone on the FF team to do their best to toss this jolting scandal over their shoulder. Difficult though this may be, with the biggest day of the year for our event a mere month away, our focus is now best centered on an unencumbered, record-breaking performance in the Dining Hall come Nov. 22.
I will be maintaining my unwavering role in Feast Fest in the wake of this unwelcome fray; it is my sincerest hope that you will join me in doing so.

-WILLIAM VANDERBILT,
Feast Fest Events, Mgr."

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Two New Chefs Fired, One Potential 2013 Addition Scrubbed Due to Bribery

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Two of FF's biggest offseason catches have been fired and a third chef previously widely considered as a 2013 addition possibility has been placed on a barred list after a bribery incident surfaced, Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt announced late Monday.

The chefs are members of a prominent Dutch culinary threesome. Feast Fest fired Monday Anah de Vri and Peter di Vris (no relation in spite of their similar surnames) and placed on a barred list Keneth de Röuterdäam. FF signed de Vri and di Vris in June. They planned to sign de Röuterdäam as well, but, due to contractual disagreements, he was dissolved as a potential addition for this year's event. However, de Röuterdäam said he would hire a new agent in hopes of bolstering talks between the two sides, and thus de Röuterdäam was then highly regarded as one of Feast Fest's main pursued chefs in the 2012-2013 offseason, which begins December 4.

The aspirations of all three were crushed Monday upon de Vri and di Vris's firing and de Röuterdäam's barring. De Fri and di Vris had filed checks of upwards of $25,000 to seven separate scouters in hopes of upping their contractual offers. Originally signed to $531,000 each, it was announced on August 26 that their contracts had been upped to $1,000,000, the maximum amount allowable under the salary cap and the largest contract amount in FF history. The yet-to-be-signed de Röuterdäam also bribed scouters with $25,000 in order to procure a $1,000,000 deal in the 2013 offseason when scouters pursued him.

FF responded to their actions by firing and barring them.

Vanderbilt said no scouters who accepted the bribes have been as of yet identified.


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Pierce-Molleuone Wins NCA's Best Creole

-New York
-The National Culinary Association (NCA) has yet again honored FF fixture Jacqueline Pierce-Molleuone with their "Best Creole" honor.

The Louisiana chef won the award previously in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2011, and placed second in voting in 2010 and 2005 and third in voting in 2008.

Pierce-Molleuone, who, before her July 11 marriage to Jack Molleuone, was simply known as "Jacqueline Pierce", stated she was "elated" upon learning of the award Monday.

"We are eternally enthused today about opening the NCA Award season with yet another Best Creole honor for our talented chef, Jackie Pierce-Molleuone," said Exec.'ve Asst. Arthur Ayeiy on behalf of FF.

Monday is the beginning of the five-week period in which the NCA gives out its arsenal of over 200 awards. Last year, Feast Fest chefs won 28 of 202 awards granted, and FFers podiumed in 59 of them. The awards period begins today and ends on Fri., Nov. 16.


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"No" says "Yes" to 2013 slot

-Boston
-After a successful July 2 exhibition at Joe Pasik's Boston-based "No," the European restaurant announced midday Monday it had accepted an offer from FF to go forward with a 2013 exhibition.

Pasik hopes No's next exhibition will coincide with the Independence Day weekend, as did this year's.

"Elated to hear No got a 2013 exhibition," Pasik tweeted around 11 a.m. Pacific Monday.


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Floridian Feast Festers' Eateries Bombarded by Tropical Storm Isaac

-Miami
-Feast Fest Chefs Ivan Peterman, Peter Dumas, and Moore all put service at their highly acclaimed South Florida restaurants on hold Monday as Tropical Storm Isaac bombarded the region.

A heavy squall band of thunderstorms, lightning, and even a couple tornadoes ravaged the area, breaking glass at Peterman's Spanish Wishingwell and knocking out power in Dumas's El Everglade and Moore's Lakeland.

"Yeah, well, hurricanes are a part of life here in Miami, but this one did a particular number on us.  Not that it cuts into business that much--people aren't gonna be going out to restaurants in a storm like this anyway," Peterman remarked.

The flashy FF chef Moore evacuated Lakeland when the power went out, though a measly four customers were in the 150-seat eatery during the height of the storm.

Lakeland was closed down about 9 a.m. Eastern, and Wishingwell and El Everglade held off any lunch rush there might have been by closing down at 11 a.m. Eastern.

Edelyn Cooking Arena in Punta Gorda, Florida, a frequent site of FF exhibitions and which will play host to an exhibition on October 28, suffered heavy rain and winds but was reported to be undamaged.

Logo released

-Marina del Rey, Ca.
-Official Feast Fest Logo Designer Remunne Tchaikov released the official Feast Fest 2012 logo Monday.

It was quite the test for the new addition Tchaikov, after longtime logo designer Andris Petrys, who designed thirteen FF logos from 1999-2011, left the event following FF 2011.

Tchaikov seems to have followed Petrys's pattern of a large, bold, colorful, display of the event's roman numerals (this year, XVIII, for 18, or the 18th Feast Fest), flanked at the top and bottom by smaller lines of text saying "Feast Fest" on top and the year on the bottom.

A few differences popped up, however.  One of these was that in addition to the "2012" line below the roman numerals, Tchaikov added a second line of text giving the more precise dates of "November 21-25, 2012."  Petrys would either amalgamate the dates and year into one line or leave the dates out altogether, just putting the year. 

Another difference of note is Tchaikov's use of three different fonts in the logo--Petrys typically stuck with only two.

Tchaikov follows Petrys's lead in the color schemes used in the logo.  Petrys almost always included reds, golds, oranges, or greens, to "emphasize fall and harvest color," so he explained during a 2009 interview, and it was also common for Petrys to include colors of the sea, blue, green, teal, and aquamarine, to emphasize the event's Marina del Rey location.  The new designer Tchaikov followed this pattern to a tee.

Tchaikov's first logo is being generally considered not quite as appealing to the eye as Petrys's 2011 entry, but it still has received positive reviews.

Of the thirteen logos Petrys designed, all were viewed favorably, with the exception of one--his Feast Fest 2002 logo, intended to follow a "cuisines from around the world" theme, was considered "nausea-induc[ing]."

Exec've. Assistant Arthur Ayeiy spoke on behalf of Event Mgr. William Vanderbilt, saying, "Mr. Vanderbilt and our entire team is absolutely ebullient at the revelation this morning of the 2012 Feast Fest logo.  We would like to extend our sincerest plaudits to our new logo designer, Mr. Remunne Tchaikov, for a job spectacularly done."

But not everyone is so wowed by the logo.  Feast Fest Chef Patrick Kermell tweeted, "just saw new ff logo for '12.  thing looks UGLY! he blundered it up like '02 again"

Kermell was reportedly unaware that a new logo designer had been chosen and thought the old designer Petrys had drafted the 2012 logo, likening it to his one failed logo design of ten years ago.  An agent for Kermell apologized on his behalf to the new logo designer.