Kendall College's Koetke Named Cooking Teacher Of The Year

Christopher Koetke, dean of The School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College, was named Cooking Teacher of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) at the association's 31st-annual conference in Denver on April 4.

The Award of Excellence, announced during a gala ceremony at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel, each year honors one individual globally who demonstrates and effectively communicates an exceptional knowledge of culinary studies and techniques in a vocational, avocational or traveling-teacher capacity. The theme of this year's conference, which drew chefs, cooking teachers, cookbook authors, journalists, food photographers and food marketers from around the world, was "Pioneering a Sustainable World."

Koetke joined Kendall's faculty as a chef instructor in 1998, and later was promoted to associate dean. Along with the move from Evanston to the new Riverworks campus on Chicago's Goose Island in 2005, Koetke, who is certified by the American Culinary Federation as an executive chef (CEC) and culinary educator (CCE), became dean of the Culinary School. In addition to his status as a local celebrity thanks to regular appearances on WGN and ABC-TV, Koetke has led a team of dedicated faculty to position Kendall College's culinary- and baking/pastry-arts degrees and certificates as premier foodservice-training programs in the Midwest. Koetke was instrumental in establishing one of the first Bachelor of Arts degrees in culinary arts in the United States.

Koetke spearheaded Kendall College's efforts in environmental sustainability, and in 2008 the School of Culinary Arts took the bold initiative to educate the foodservice industry on simple, cost-effective ways in which restaurants and other food outlets may lessen their carbon footprints through operational and organizational enhancements. The outreach culminated in an instructional DVD released free to the restaurant industry, and serves as the cornerstone of the college's ongoing efforts. Kendall College's two dining operations-the upscale Dining Room, open to the public, and the more-casual Caf�, which caters to students, faculty and staff of Kendall College's four schools-remain the only retail foodservice outlets operated by a culinary school and certified by the Boston-based Green Restaurant Association.

In March, the National Restaurant Association, Washington, D.C., announced Kendall College as the official education partner of the association's Conserve: Solutions for Sustainability initiative. Conserve's mission is to help the nation's nearly 1 million restaurant and foodservice locations reduce their environmental impact while maintaining economic vitality.

Testament to Koetke's leadership, Kendall College was recently named the best cooking school in the world for 2008 in the Academy of the Culinary Arts Cordon d' Or - Gold Ribbon Culinary Academy Awards.

"We are extremely proud of Dean Koetke and the team he has helped build to position Kendall College as offering one of the leading, most cutting-edge foodservice-training programs in the world," says Nivine Megahed, Ph.D., president of the college. "His recognition as Cooking Teacher of the Year by IACP further validates our strategy and mission: to produce the most-qualified and best-trained culinary and baking and pastry graduates of any program, anywhere."

About the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP)
IACP is a not-for-profit professional association that provides continuing education and development for its members who are engaged in the areas of culinary education, communication or in the preparation of food and drink. The worldwide membership of more than 3,000 encompasses 45 countries and is