Hello everyone!
I hope the Fall season is treating you all well. I’ve certainly noticed a difference in the temperatures of the kitchens around the school, and I hope you’re feeling it in your kitchens too!
I wanted to extend a quick welcome to the upcoming AM and PM classes starting on Monday, October 2nd. We are very excited to help all of you take your next steps in this amazing industry.
This past Friday, September 22nd, ACI participated in the 2nd Annual Resource Fair and Kickball Tournament for the Arizona National Guard’s Suicide Prevention Program. It was a nice event, and we were able to connect with a lot of wonderful people. Also, we put together a team of (mostly) students, both past and present, to compete in the kickball tournament. I am very happy to say that we made it to the final four teams out of 17 teams in the single elimination bracket! A team from the Army beat us in the third round to knock us out, but we are very pleased with our result.
We also recently had our school’s 2nd Advisory Board Meeting for the year. Our Advisory Board changes every year, but it is always made-up of Chefs from the Valley that employ our students. The goal of the Advisory Board is to help keep our program focused, relevant, and make sure that we are meeting the needs of the Chefs that are hiring our students. The biggest thing that I took from this meeting, that I feel comfortable sharing with all of you, is that skilled hands in this industry have never been more valuable. Finding a job, for most all of you, should not be a problem. Chefs have been telling us for quite a while, including this meeting, that they struggle to find enough qualified candidates to fill all of their employment needs. The good news for all of you is that your culinary education has provided you with the skill sets these employers are looking for. Keep training; keep getting better and more and more great employment opportunities should continue to appear on your horizon!
The last major thing I’d like to discuss in this letter is our upcoming ACI Family Day and Fun-run. On Saturday, October 14th, we will be hosting this event on our campus. We really will have something for everyone. The event will include a Fun-run with 2 course options: a 5k, and a 2-mile. The event is only as competitive as you want it to be, so take it easy, or push for the win! Either way, it’s open to everyone, and the only cost is a donation to our fund to continue hosting our monthly free Veteran Culinary Bootcamp classes. In addition to the Fun-run, we will have a bake sale, a bounce house, face painting, a canned food drive, tours of the school, and a BBQ buffet! The event is free to attend, and any of the items on campus that do cost money, all of the proceeds will be going directly to the Bootcamp classes as well. We want to see you. We want you to bring your family. We want you to tell your friends. Whether you’re an athlete, a foodie, a student, whatever, this event is about community and getting together to have a good time.
It’s from 8am until noon, with Fun-run registration beginning at 7am. If you have any questions PLEASE contact us at the school. We really hope to see you there.
Take care everyone, and see you on October 14th!
Chef Christopher Wolf, ccc, cce, csw, cpi
Executive Chef,
Arizona Culinary Institute
Tags: aci, Arizona Culinary Institute, arts institute, chefs, cooking school, cooking schools, culinary school, curriculum, evening program, le cordon bleu, meat fabrication, pastry chef, scottsdale culinary institute, wine tasting