Pierpont Culinary Announces Chef to Lead 2009 Cast Iron Cook-Off in Charleston, WV

Pierpont Culinary announced today, Chef Caleb Taylor (a 2007 graduate of Pierpont's Culinary program), apprentice chef at The Greenbrier, will be leading the Cast Iron Competition team in Charleston, WV January 2009.

"Chef Taylor is a shining example of the potential of our graduates," said Chef Brian Floyd. "He lead our team to very competitive finish in the 2008 competition, and we cannot think of a better person to represent our institutioin."

Taylor, with his sous chef, will lead a team of eight amatuer cooks as they prepare a four-course meal ultilizing some of West Virginia's best ingredients. Chefs from around the state will vie for prizes such as: Best use of WV Ingredients, Most Creative use of Cast Iron, and of course, the Grand Champion's Skillet.

"The Cast Iron Cook-Off is one of the state's premier culinary events. We are particularily proud that some of the event's proceeds are used to help sponsor scholarships." Floyd said. "We feel fortunate and honored to be one of the teams chosen to compete."

The 2009 Cast Iron Cook-Off will be held at the Charleston Marriot Town-Center January 23rd-25th.

Welcome Back Students

It's been an exciting week.

The new Culinary and Pastry & Baking Arts students have received their new uniforms and knives. Second year students are settling back in after a summer of internships all over the state and country.

The first labs have happened, there are several bandaids to prove it. Food has been delivered in. All the pilot lights have been checked. The dishmachine is already working hard as ever.

Faculty have all been Faculty Developed. Syllabi have been created, discussed, passed-out, and posted. The semester game plans are coming together.

Books have been purchased. Schedules have been corrected. Course overrides have been faxed. Assignments have been received, they'll be done tomorrow.

It's good to be back in the kitchen......let the semester begin.

Pierpont C&TC Culinary Arts Receives National Recognition

Pierpont C&TC Culinary Arts and Pastry & Baking Arts programs recently received accreditation through the American Culinary Federation Foundation Accrediting Commission (ACFFAC).

Evaluators from Columbus and Cincinnati, OH, and Fort Wayne, IN came to assess the program’s curriculum, facilities, and faculty this past November. The three member team was made up of an industry professional, a culinary education coordinator, and a representative from the ACFFAC.

The Culinary Arts program had received its initial accreditation in 2004. However, with this latest review the program’s accreditation was renewed for another 5 years.

Chef Brian A. Floyd, CEC is the coordinator for both the Culinary Arts and Pastry & Baking Arts programs.

“This review is a tremendous validation for our programs. We have been incrementally increasing the quality of our programs and this substantiates our work,” Floyd said.

Stacey Dent, a first year Culinary Arts student from Parkersburg, said, “This program has been a good experience for me. I have learned a lot that I don’t think I could have learned somewhere else. I have tried a number of things that have pushed me beyond my (culinary) comfort zone.”

The Pastry & Baking Arts program was established in 2005, and has been gaining steady momentum since. The Pastry & Baking Arts program also received an initial accreditation of 5 years.

Devin Young, a Pastry & Baking Arts student who attended Putnam Career & Technical Center, hopes to eventually open her own bakery. While she was in the kitchen preparing some fresh croissants she said, “Now that the school has demonstrated that it has met the national standards, I know that I can meet them too.”

The Culinary Arts program added Chef Jay R. Mahoney, CEC as a full-time Chef-Instructor, and the Pastry & Baking Arts program added Pastry Chef Kristen Cirolia as an adjunct faculty in January.

“I truly believe the addition of this high caliber faculty put us over the top,” said Floyd. “All other components were in place. We have grown from 15 students to 75 in the past five years. In fact, we have gone to a competitive enrollment system to manage our growth and raise the quality of our student graduates. Our facilities are kept immaculately well. Chef Mahoney and Chef Cirolia provide the missing links to our continued success.”

Floyd has already moved past the accreditation and has been working with city officials to assess the market and financial feasibility of opening a student operated bistro in downtown Fairmont. He expects the study will be complete by spring and will make a decision then whether to continue to pursue to the project to establish the Culinary program downtown, a project which he hopes will attract other restaurateurs to follow.

Welcome to the Pierpont Palate

Welcome to the official blog site of Pierpont Community & Technical College Culinary Arts and Pastry & Baking Arts. This site is intended for students, faculty, alumni, program friends, and anyone who shares our passion for great food.