-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
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
Monday, November 18, 2013
All 68 Chefs Signed In At Official Roll Call
-Marina del Rey, Calif.
-Feast Fest 2013 was officially gaveled into session Monday evening with the official roll call, and all 68 chefs--one more than previously believed due to a processing error surrounding a new addition signed on the last day of the scouting offseason--made it, despite a few close calls.
Still, those close calls are expected to only fuel the debate over the much-maligned practice of a chef not being able to participate on Thanksgiving Day if they do not approach the podium within 45 seconds of their name being announced at the roll call.
D.A. Cook, the final chef to be announced in a list of all 68 chefs in a random, computerized order, raced into the Grand Ballroom, fresh out of a car ferrying him from LAX, making it at the last second to be registered in one of three close calls and four chefs whose registration was in dispute Monday night; all four chefs were eventually successfully registered.
Cook's name was announced as the final name on the list 1 hour and 53 seconds into the official Roll Call clock, in what was one of Feast Fest's longer roll calls due to several pauses for technical and clerical issues. The Roll Call is sometimes only twenty minutes long. Cook was not present in the Grand Ballroom, however, and fellow chefs, knowing he was expected to be late, moaned as they believed they would be one short. The forty-five seconds for Cook to approach the podium began ticking.
But Cook burst through the doors with ten seconds left, rushed toward the podium and successfully was registered before time fizzled out.
"Cutting it a bit close?" joked Dave Welterman, who presided over the Roll Call.
But Cook's was not the only close call. A tired Wallace Mornett went up to his hotel room after checking in Monday evening and fell asleep, barely making it to the podium in time. Chefs corroborated that they had seen Mornett earlier in the day. He was seen with only about fifteen seconds left, and successfully registered. "I went to my room and fell asleep, I just came down now [...] I heard everyone making a fuss, and I said, 'Oh, God, is that [for] me?', and it was!"
Patti Anriyyi had to be called in her hotel room to authenticate that she was present after a friend of hers approached the podium on her behalf, claiming she was feeling sick. Anriyyi was eventually registered.
Catcalls also came for the Rousswicks, Alan and Jane, as their names were called, due to the scandal involving scouter Peter Chilphingham, who has been fired. The Rousswicks will miss Core Skills Runthroughs tomorrow while they are interviewed about the matter.
FF Wire Service
-Feast Fest 2013 was officially gaveled into session Monday evening with the official roll call, and all 68 chefs--one more than previously believed due to a processing error surrounding a new addition signed on the last day of the scouting offseason--made it, despite a few close calls.
Still, those close calls are expected to only fuel the debate over the much-maligned practice of a chef not being able to participate on Thanksgiving Day if they do not approach the podium within 45 seconds of their name being announced at the roll call.
D.A. Cook, the final chef to be announced in a list of all 68 chefs in a random, computerized order, raced into the Grand Ballroom, fresh out of a car ferrying him from LAX, making it at the last second to be registered in one of three close calls and four chefs whose registration was in dispute Monday night; all four chefs were eventually successfully registered.
Cook's name was announced as the final name on the list 1 hour and 53 seconds into the official Roll Call clock, in what was one of Feast Fest's longer roll calls due to several pauses for technical and clerical issues. The Roll Call is sometimes only twenty minutes long. Cook was not present in the Grand Ballroom, however, and fellow chefs, knowing he was expected to be late, moaned as they believed they would be one short. The forty-five seconds for Cook to approach the podium began ticking.
But Cook burst through the doors with ten seconds left, rushed toward the podium and successfully was registered before time fizzled out.
"Cutting it a bit close?" joked Dave Welterman, who presided over the Roll Call.
But Cook's was not the only close call. A tired Wallace Mornett went up to his hotel room after checking in Monday evening and fell asleep, barely making it to the podium in time. Chefs corroborated that they had seen Mornett earlier in the day. He was seen with only about fifteen seconds left, and successfully registered. "I went to my room and fell asleep, I just came down now [...] I heard everyone making a fuss, and I said, 'Oh, God, is that [for] me?', and it was!"
Patti Anriyyi had to be called in her hotel room to authenticate that she was present after a friend of hers approached the podium on her behalf, claiming she was feeling sick. Anriyyi was eventually registered.
Catcalls also came for the Rousswicks, Alan and Jane, as their names were called, due to the scandal involving scouter Peter Chilphingham, who has been fired. The Rousswicks will miss Core Skills Runthroughs tomorrow while they are interviewed about the matter.
FF Wire Service
FF Chefs Arrive, Await Roll Call
-Marina del Rey, Calif.
-One question pervades throughout Feast Fest this evening:
Where is D.A. Cook?
Cook was the only of the 67 chefs not present at the Beachview. He must be present at the Roll Call at 8 p.m., just an hour away, or else be benched from Feast Fest Nov. 28.
Cook was yet another chef to complain about that regulation of being punished with derostering if one misses the roll call, tweeting about four hours ago, "Weather delays such as the one that has stranded me at ORD should not be followed up by scratching. #Unfair" It was not known if Cook would make the roll call. Adding to Cook's stress is the fact that, while the roll call can take up to twenty or thirty minutes, names are called out in a random, nonalphabetical order. "His name could be the first or the last called, which heightens the rush," Jim McAllister said. McAllister's name was called last in 2007, enabling him to just squeak in after travel delays caused him to arrive during the middle of the Roll Call.
FF Wire Service
-One question pervades throughout Feast Fest this evening:
Where is D.A. Cook?
Cook was the only of the 67 chefs not present at the Beachview. He must be present at the Roll Call at 8 p.m., just an hour away, or else be benched from Feast Fest Nov. 28.
Cook was yet another chef to complain about that regulation of being punished with derostering if one misses the roll call, tweeting about four hours ago, "Weather delays such as the one that has stranded me at ORD should not be followed up by scratching. #Unfair" It was not known if Cook would make the roll call. Adding to Cook's stress is the fact that, while the roll call can take up to twenty or thirty minutes, names are called out in a random, nonalphabetical order. "His name could be the first or the last called, which heightens the rush," Jim McAllister said. McAllister's name was called last in 2007, enabling him to just squeak in after travel delays caused him to arrive during the middle of the Roll Call.
FF Wire Service
21 of 67 Feast Fest Chefs Have Arrived as of Sunday
-Marina del Rey, Calif.
-While Monday morning will be the official arrival period for most of the Feast Fest chefs, 20 chefs arrived in Marina del Rey on Sunday ahead of the ten-day preparation and practice period preceding Feast Fest, which is on Nov. 28. The activities officially begin Monday evening with the official Feast Fest roll call, with practice sessions commencing Tuesday morning.
Andruw Stephan, Lynn Avi, Joe Pasik, Lisa Choi, Laelech Crellas, Peter Dumas, Daniel Mettling, Lakeland Donavert, Jacqueline Pierce-Mulleone, Ivan Peterman, Pete Willis, Jawrodly Jurrjens, Jarolde James, Miranda Morimota Patton, Keith Wholehreh, Tony Ruscoso, Wiley Anders, Adam McNeese, Marc Monde, and Jane Rousswick all arrived Sunday. Andruw's brother Jan, the Mason Duo, and Co-Head Chef Jim McAllister are all based in the Los Angeles area and thus will be able to participate in the 10-day preparation session without checking in to the hotel.
Rousswick's connection to a scouting scandal may bench her from Feast Fest. She is expected to sit out early practices as she faces interrogation over the matter wherein a now-fired scouter dipped into Feast Fest's official budget to give her $122,222 in lavish gifts.
However, those 20 chefs all arrived later than first-year newbie Eric NacGnissecorp. The wunderkind arrived on Saturday to get in an extra day of practice, and was billed for his room after he found out that Feast Fest only comps rooms beginning on Sunday night.
The other 46 chefs are expected to arrive Monday, and they must if they want to participate: chefs MUST be present at the official roll call, at 8:00 p.m., in order to be rostered on Thanksgiving. A chef has not been scrapped from the roster due to failure to make the roll call since 2006. Still, though, chefs are lobbying hard to have that rule changed, saying that their actions on Monday should not affect whether or not they get to participate 10 days later, and also making the point that the rule does not grant chefs any measure of amnesty for failure to show up based on travel or weather delays. However, the rule will still remain in place this year, despite efforts to abolish it beginning in 2014.
The arrived chefs, most of them Feast Fest veterans and higher-ups, convened Sunday evening. Some had dabbled in a bit of practice earlier in the afternoon.
"After two terrible exhibitions," Jan Stephan said, "we want to get every inch of practice that we can before Thanksgiving. We can't let the score slip like we did at Edelyn and Morro."
FF Wire Service
-While Monday morning will be the official arrival period for most of the Feast Fest chefs, 20 chefs arrived in Marina del Rey on Sunday ahead of the ten-day preparation and practice period preceding Feast Fest, which is on Nov. 28. The activities officially begin Monday evening with the official Feast Fest roll call, with practice sessions commencing Tuesday morning.
Andruw Stephan, Lynn Avi, Joe Pasik, Lisa Choi, Laelech Crellas, Peter Dumas, Daniel Mettling, Lakeland Donavert, Jacqueline Pierce-Mulleone, Ivan Peterman, Pete Willis, Jawrodly Jurrjens, Jarolde James, Miranda Morimota Patton, Keith Wholehreh, Tony Ruscoso, Wiley Anders, Adam McNeese, Marc Monde, and Jane Rousswick all arrived Sunday. Andruw's brother Jan, the Mason Duo, and Co-Head Chef Jim McAllister are all based in the Los Angeles area and thus will be able to participate in the 10-day preparation session without checking in to the hotel.
Rousswick's connection to a scouting scandal may bench her from Feast Fest. She is expected to sit out early practices as she faces interrogation over the matter wherein a now-fired scouter dipped into Feast Fest's official budget to give her $122,222 in lavish gifts.
However, those 20 chefs all arrived later than first-year newbie Eric NacGnissecorp. The wunderkind arrived on Saturday to get in an extra day of practice, and was billed for his room after he found out that Feast Fest only comps rooms beginning on Sunday night.
The other 46 chefs are expected to arrive Monday, and they must if they want to participate: chefs MUST be present at the official roll call, at 8:00 p.m., in order to be rostered on Thanksgiving. A chef has not been scrapped from the roster due to failure to make the roll call since 2006. Still, though, chefs are lobbying hard to have that rule changed, saying that their actions on Monday should not affect whether or not they get to participate 10 days later, and also making the point that the rule does not grant chefs any measure of amnesty for failure to show up based on travel or weather delays. However, the rule will still remain in place this year, despite efforts to abolish it beginning in 2014.
The arrived chefs, most of them Feast Fest veterans and higher-ups, convened Sunday evening. Some had dabbled in a bit of practice earlier in the afternoon.
"After two terrible exhibitions," Jan Stephan said, "we want to get every inch of practice that we can before Thanksgiving. We can't let the score slip like we did at Edelyn and Morro."
FF Wire Service
Sunday, November 17, 2013
NacGnissecorp Arrives Earlier than Anybody Else, Takes Self-Prescribed Early Practice Sessions
-Marina del Rey, Calif.
-In another display of the nonstop dedication poured out by Feast Fest's biggest breakout chef since, many argue, Lynn Avi in 2006, Eric NacGnissecorp, who has taken Feast Fest by storm since signing in March, ranking second or tied for first in three Feast Fest exhibitions and lifting chefs' spirits like a Head Chef after two straight botched exhibitions earlier in the month, arrived earlier than anyone else for Feast Fest XIX.
Monday marks the start of a ten-day preparation and practice period for Feast Fest, which is on Thu., Nov. 28. Most chefs arrive in Marina del Rey early Monday, and a few might trickle in on Sunday, but NacGnissecorp walked in the door around 9 a.m.--on Saturday. That's the first time ever that a Feast Fest chef has come to the Beachview two days early. Top chefs such as Jim McAllister, Lynn Avi, Jan Stephan, and Daniel Mettling publicly announced that they would make it out on Sunday, but NacGnissecorp shared the kitchen with resident, non-Feast Fest chefs merely dishing out regular dinner service as he spent the entire day holding a sort of private core skills runthrough.
"Since I'm new and didn't come with the rest of the group, the lady at the front desk didn't have any idea what I was talking about when I said my name should be under Feast Fest." As it is, NacGnissecorp will have to pay for staying on Saturday night--Feast Fest only begins comping rooms for its chefs on Sunday night.
"Eh, so I lose $164, big whoop. I came here early because I knew we had a big hill to climb after the two exhibitions we trammeled and I wanted to get the most practice I could." As a matter of fact, he said that he was "surprised I was the first one here."
Just another reason veterans could follow the lead of the fiery Michigan newcomer.
FF Wire Service
-In another display of the nonstop dedication poured out by Feast Fest's biggest breakout chef since, many argue, Lynn Avi in 2006, Eric NacGnissecorp, who has taken Feast Fest by storm since signing in March, ranking second or tied for first in three Feast Fest exhibitions and lifting chefs' spirits like a Head Chef after two straight botched exhibitions earlier in the month, arrived earlier than anyone else for Feast Fest XIX.
Monday marks the start of a ten-day preparation and practice period for Feast Fest, which is on Thu., Nov. 28. Most chefs arrive in Marina del Rey early Monday, and a few might trickle in on Sunday, but NacGnissecorp walked in the door around 9 a.m.--on Saturday. That's the first time ever that a Feast Fest chef has come to the Beachview two days early. Top chefs such as Jim McAllister, Lynn Avi, Jan Stephan, and Daniel Mettling publicly announced that they would make it out on Sunday, but NacGnissecorp shared the kitchen with resident, non-Feast Fest chefs merely dishing out regular dinner service as he spent the entire day holding a sort of private core skills runthrough.
"Since I'm new and didn't come with the rest of the group, the lady at the front desk didn't have any idea what I was talking about when I said my name should be under Feast Fest." As it is, NacGnissecorp will have to pay for staying on Saturday night--Feast Fest only begins comping rooms for its chefs on Sunday night.
"Eh, so I lose $164, big whoop. I came here early because I knew we had a big hill to climb after the two exhibitions we trammeled and I wanted to get the most practice I could." As a matter of fact, he said that he was "surprised I was the first one here."
Just another reason veterans could follow the lead of the fiery Michigan newcomer.
FF Wire Service
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