Chefs share a passion for cooking

Local chapter of American Culinary Federation open to new members

A passion for creating the best dishes possible is what gets a true chef up every morning, notes longtime executive chef Gary Sheldon, who is the corporate executive chef for Sysco Foods of Portland, Maine, and a resident of East Conway.That passion is what separates the true chefs from the cooks, said Sheldon, formerly a star World Mud Bowl Hall of Famer for the Mount Washington Valley Hogs mud football team.The same passion and drive that Sheldon showed in his years of playing and co-managing the World Mud Bowl charitable mud football championships is evident in his affiliation with the Northern New Hampshire chapter of the American Culinary Federation, which meets the second Wednesday of every month at different host establishments.On Wednesday night, Oct. 8, Sheldon was joined by fellow and prospective members of the organization at the Red Fox Bar and Grille Restaurant in Jackson to share culinary stories, plan this year's Taste of the Mountains, and to enjoy smoked meats prepared by host chef Roland Riendeau.Riendeau treated his fellow chefs to spare ribs and other marinated smoked meats that were prepared at the restaurant's wood-fired grille and pizza oven. Bourbon-marinated, succulent meats in which the meat simply fell off the bone brought oohs and ahs from the visiting chefs, much to Riendeau's delight.After the sampling of those items, Riendeau gave a tour of the kitchen and the J&R Manufacturing of Mesquite, Texas-built grille.It's a two-and-a-half-ton wood-fired grille where we do all of our steaks; our prime rib is cooked on a rotisserie in the back of it. Our deck is lowered and raised to adjust for heat. It adds amazing flavor we use nothing but northern hard woods that are all kiln dried and split. We burn about two cords every three weeks, said Riendeau. The man who designed this I talk to all the time because when we come up with a new idea for something different we share it with them they had never heard of doing prime rib, for example, over these spits, because they are so used to doing chicken and ribs, things like that. They had never thought of doing that, said Riendeau.In business that was accomplished at this month's meeting, the group of chefs voted to move next June's annual Taste of the Mountains culinary gala feast from the Mount Washington Hotel Resort to the Eagle Mountain House in jackson.Nothing against the Mount Washington, but we have been wanting to move it closer, back into the valley, explained Sheldon, noting that the event started in 1975 at the Margate in Laconia. We did it there for a number of years there, then tried the New Hampshire Highway Hotel in Concord. We were next at the Fox Ridge for a number of years, and have been at the Mount Washington for 10 or 12 years, said Sheldon.He said the local chapter consists of 30 members, with 12 of those active in the organization, which is based from Berlin to Wolfeboro and west to Littleton and east to Mount Washington Valley.The group's president is Lisa Gendron, pastry chef at the Mount Washington Hotel Resort. Sheldon serves as vice president. Stephen Hughes is its treasurer. Other chefs attending this month's event included Doug Gibson of the Chinook Cafe, Trudi Kasianchuk of the Mount Washington Valley Career and Technical Institute culinary program, and Stephen Halikas of the newly-opened Boat House Grille in Newport, Vt., and fellow restaurateurs Carole Pouliat and Mark Poquette. Also attending were Ed Hollum, formerly of Cape Cod and now back in Mount Washington Valley; and Anita Burroughs.We get together and enjoy the camaraderie, said Gibson, formerly of the Stonehurst Manor. He and others agreed that scheduling meetings can be tough, as chefs generally work at night. The chapter's focus is on education.Our focus has changed over time because we change with the times, but we have always been about education, working with students through programs such as Trudi's at Kennett High and chef instructor Lenny Martin at Kingswood Regional in Wolfeboro. We give back to the community that has promoted us and helped us, said Gibson.Members often bring students with them when they attend regional and national culinary conventions.Both Gary and Doug were very instrumental, not only on my first makeshift culinary room but now with the new high school. They both had a lot of input, said Kasianchuk.Sheldon said chefs never lose their curiosity about cooking.We all want to be in this business, we truly do. A lot of people just go to work every day, they show up, do their thing and they go home at night. We're here because you know what, we learned something tonight and everyone in this group has something to share. For the person who doesn't ever pick up a culinary magazine or gather with colleagues to share ideas will always make $11 an hour. There are people who cook and there are people who love to cook, said Sheldon, to which Kasianchuk added, or who have to cook.It's like anything else if you don't have a passion for what you do, it's the difference. I came here tonight because Roland truly does a great job with barbecue and that's what we focused on tonight. Other times we try and bring in other chefs, such as a Steve James on pastry, said Sheldon.For more information on the chapter, email Sheldon at Sheldon.Gary@nne.sysco.com.