Hello culinarians.
There is no other way to start off this newsletter than to bring up the most important thing to happen at ACI in a long time. Most of you have probably already heard this, but this month we lost a very important person at the school. Our good friend Chef Glenn Humphrey passed away. Glenn was the face of Arizona Culinary Institute. He was one of the original instructors to open the school. His grasp on the culinary world in the valley was far reaching. Almost everyone knew him, or knew someone that knew him. He was an inspiration to so many. His memory will be kept alive forever in the food we cook, the legions of chefs that have been taught by him, and all the new culinarians they will inspire. There is a hole in the school that will never be filled. If you want any more information, please don’t hesitate to call the school. We are all here to help each other. Rest in peace Chef.
While the memory of Glenn’s passing is still very fresh in our minds, we must all band together and try to move forward. Anyone that knew him would agree that he would want us to put on a smile and keep cooking. In that spirit, I want to announce that we have confirmed our first ever Farmer’s Market will be happening here on campus on Saturday, March 14th, in conjunction with our open house. There will be several local farmers on hand, as well as cheese, honey, Alaskan salmon, and locally raised beef. We strongly encourage you to come down and show your support to these Arizona purveyors. Without quality product, none of us would have jobs. The farm-to-table movement has never been stronger, and this is a great opportunity for us all to see how great Arizona product can be. The market will be open from 9am until noon. Let’s band together and support Arizona farmers.
One week later we will be out at Tonopah Rob’s Vegetable Farm cooking for a farm fundraiser. We are gladly taking volunteers that would like to participate. Dinner will be cooked and served at the farm, using product pulled directly from the farm. It’s going to be a pretty special event, to help support a pretty amazing Arizona farm. If you’re interested in getting involved, call the school and ask for Chef Wolf.
That’s it for this month. We wish you all happy cooking. May your food be cooked with inspiration, love, and a little extra salt for Chef Humphrey.
Chef Christopher Wolf, CCC, CCE, CSW, CPI
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