Chefs Collaborative Revitalizes With Fresh Faces

New Officers, New Energy, New Office Space, New Era

A gathering of the Chefs Collaborative Board of Overseers in Monterey, Calif., on May 17-18, 2006, yielded exciting news and energetic leadership. Four new officers will continue the organization's work at the forefront of sustainable culinary education for chefs and producers, and will guide its development of a sustainable seafood curriculum for culinary students and educators. Replacing Peter Hoffman, chef and owner of Savoy in New York City, as national chair is Eric Stenberg, an accomplished chef and the current food manager of The Community Co-op in Bozeman, Mont. Stepping down from his position after six successful years, Hoffman will remain an integral Chefs Collaborative board member.

"It is with pride that I look back at how far this organization has come since it started," says Hoffman. "An abstract, loosely-bound group of passionate chefs has become a much more organized collaboration with a redefined mission, powerful principles, and focused committees and programs. I see great things for us in the future under Eric's lead."

"Peter has left me with big shoes to fill," says Stenberg, "but I'm honored by the opportunity to lead the Collaborative in its mission to educate the culinary community on choices that are fundamental to the revitalization of sustainable food. As we embark on a new era, we can collectively take the organic trend even further and remind people to eat locally, eat wisely and, most importantly, eat respectfully."

Robin Schempp continues as vice-chair of Chefs Collaborative. Schempp is president of Right Stuff Enterprises, a consultancy for foodservice and retail clients in the U.S. and abroad. Bruce Sherman, who has long been dazzling diners as chef and partner of North Pond Restaurant in Chicago, Ill., takes over as secretary. Rounding out the executive committee is Treasurer Ed Doyle, a chef who led the way in the operation of "green kitchens" in Boston, Mass. and the current owner of Real Food, Inc., a food and beverage consulting company.

Fresh faces have entered the ranks of the Chefs Collaborative staff as well. Leigh Belanger, a Boston-based freelance journalist, is a graduate of The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., and, as such, carries a passion and flair for the environmental issues of today. She joins the staff as Communications Coordinator today and will produce Chefs Collaborative's well-known communiquis and newsletters as she continues to work towards her M.A. in food studies at Boston University. Kristen Widican joined the Chefs Collaborative staff as a summer intern May 11 and will focus her talent on the new sustainable seafood culinary curriculum under development. Widican graduated with a master's degree from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University last month.

The Chefs Collaborative staff, comprised of Jennifer Hall, executive director; Katie Mish, membership and office coordinator; Maggie Nesgos, program and event coordinator; Belanger and Widican, is in the midst of an exciting move. As of June 15, Chefs Collaborative's new office space will be in The Nonprofit Center (www.nonprofitcenterboston.org), developed by Third Sector New England, located at Lincoln Plaza in downtown Boston. The staff is proud to be one of the first occupants, grateful for the alignment of values exhibited in the building's "green" design and like-minded co-habitants. The Collaborative's new address is Lincoln Plaza, 89 South Street, Lower Level, Boston, MA 02111, 617.236.5200 (p) / 617.236.5272 (f).

About Chefs Collaborative
Chefs Collaborative is a national network of more than 1,000 members of the food community working to celebrate local foods and foster a more sustainable food supply. While celebrating the pleasures of food, Collaborative members recog