Culinary students offer ‘Julia’ cookbook

 

Man cooking in a restaurant kitchen
Francisco Olivera Hernandez of Newark prepares Cajun crab and quinoa cakes, featured on page 25 of the cookbook, “Julia Presents: Dinner for Four.”

Unable to offer the Dinner at Julia restaurant nights that have become a hallmark of the fall semester, Finger Lakes Community College culinary arts faculty and students found a way to share their most popular recipes with the public.

They’ve compiled a 98-page cookbook titled “Julia Presents: Dinner for Four” that includes instructions for dozens of entrees, appetizers and desserts interspersed with quotes from famous chefs and students in the class.

Copies are now available for $20 and can be ordered online at give.flcc.edu/juliacookbook or by calling (585) 785-1205. Proceeds will benefit the FLCC Food Cupboard.

“The book contains many of the recipes that we have done over the years in our student restaurant class, scaled to work at home,” said Jamie Rotter, assistant professor and coordinator of the culinary arts program.

Rotter and faculty colleague Patrick Rae came up with the idea to provide experiential learning following the decision to cancel Dinner and Julia, a series of Friday night gourmet dinners normally open to the public.

Instead, culinary students came together in small groups for cooking instruction at the nearby New York Kitchen. Rotter, Rae and hospitality instructor Paula Knight had them prepare Julia dishes while scaling them down to family-size servings for inclusion in the cookbook. The cookbook became part of the curriculum. Continue reading “Culinary students offer ‘Julia’ cookbook”

FLCC’s latest wine, Persevere, honors students

Wine label with a grape vine and the name Persevere
Viticulture and wine technology students chose this label, “Persevere,” in an annual contest meant to give their counterparts in the graphic design program real-life experience pitching their work to a potential client.

The name chosen for the wine that Finger Lakes Community College students will bottle next spring reflects the fortitude shown in a semester transformed by the pandemic.

Fine arts and graphic design major Aimée Hawkins of Canandaigua came up with the name “Persevere” and designed the label featuring a pen-and-ink drawing of an abundant grape vine.

The back of the label is adorned with a small quote written by Hawkins: “Savor the drive, the determination and the perseverance that led us down the path to creating this wine.”

Hawkins said the quote seemed fitting for FLCC students this semester, as they’ve pursued their studies with mostly virtual instruction while juggling other demands and challenges caused by COVID-19. Perseverance also happens to be one of FLCC’s four values, shown on a large banner display in the main entrance.

Hawkins and her classmates designed labels for a graphic design course taught by Liz Brownell of Victor, professor of graphic design. In what has become an annual tradition, the labels were revealed during an event – held virtually this year rather than at the college’s Viticulture and Wine Center in Geneva.

Student designers took turns sharing their concepts, touching on themes, color palettes, font choices, as well as the computer programs they used to create the labels.

“I felt it was really important to maintain a clean crisp feel while conveying the unique nature that this vintage represents,” Hawkins said during her presentation.

Students of Paul Brock, associate professor of viticulture and wine technology, took part in the event and voted on the labels. Students Leah Herring of Rush, Leanne Camuto of Dansville and Faith Webster of Palmyra were also finalists in the contest. Continue reading “FLCC’s latest wine, Persevere, honors students”

New director and goals at FLCC Muller Field Station

Woman bending over a shallow sandbox
Alexandria Esposito of Springwater, conservation outreach education coordinator at FLCC, uses a field guide to verify footprints in a trap pit at the Muller Field Station in Canadice, Ontario County.

Finger Lakes Community College has named a new director for the Muller Field Station, a research and education facility at the south end of Honeoye Lake, and begun making plans to further enhance facilities and programming.

Head and shoulders image of John Van Niel
Professor John Van Niel

John Van Niel of Seneca Falls, professor of environmental conservation and coordinator of the fish and wildlife technology degree, began his duties on Sept. 1. He succeeded Professor Emeritus Bruce Gilman of Middlesex, author of “Ontario County Flora,” also known for his research into water quality trends in Canandaigua and Honeoye lakes. Gilman retired after 40 years of teaching in 2018 but stayed on as part-time director of the station through this past summer.

The late Florence Muller donated the 48-acre property to FLCC in 1999 in memory of her husband, Emil, a Swiss immigrant who sought to preserve the biodiversity of the Honeoye valley. Since then, funding from the Emil Muller Foundation and Florence M. Muller Foundation has supported education, research and improvements to property.

Continue reading “New director and goals at FLCC Muller Field Station”

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