People on the Move:June 2007

Smail to lead Lallemand functional food team, Master-Bilt veteran retiring after 44 years, Embassy welcomes McDonald, Canada’s Next Great Chef challenge, Humber student in 2007 CCFCC Junior competition

Smail to lead Lallemand functional food team
Jean Chagnon, president of Lallemand, announced that Dr. Virgil W. Smail joined Lallemand/American Yeast to lead the team servicing functional nutritional food producers. Described as “small, but growing,” it will be grouped in the company’s new Nutritional Food Ingredients division. “This is a position created to support and seize upon the growing demand on Lallemand by its food industry partners seeking to develop foods that answer consumers’ interests in better nutrition and the contribution to their health,” said Gary Edwards, president of Lallemand/ American Yeast Division. Lallemand will co-ordinate ongoing programs in Europe, South America, South Africa and North America to develop healthful food ingredients based on the company’s bacterial and yeast probiotics, nutritional yeasts, antioxidants, fibres, fractions of yeasts and other complementary ingredients.

Master-Bilt veteran retiring after 44 years
Duane Stockburger, industry veteran and president of Master-Bilt for the past 11 years, will retire as of June 30, 2007.  He has been in the manufacturing industry for over 44 years, and with Master-Bilt, the manufacturer of premier commercial refrigeration systems, since 1996.  “I have had an incredible experience working with Master-Bilt and the Standex Food Service Group,” says Stockburger.  “Duane has been instrumental in Master-Bilt’s success over the past decade,” says Bill Huffman, vice president, sales and marketing.  “He will be greatly missed.”

Embassy welcomes McDonald
Embassy Flavours has appointed Ann McDonald as its technical account manager. McDonald brings more than 30 years of experience in the baking industry to her new post.

Canada’s Next Great Chef challenge
A gruelling, three-month culinary challenge concluded as a panel of chefs, including Bruno Marti, Jean-Luc Piquernal, Lesia Burlak and John-Carlo Felicella, did a blind tasting of the four-course presentations created by the 10 provincial competitors. The young, talented professionals were judged not only on the taste and composition of their meals, but also their kitchen abilities, with the winning chef – Marc Shoene of Alberta – scoring the highest combination of marks from both tasting and kitchen judges.  The Next Great Chef televised series is based on the Knorr®/CCFCC Junior Culinary Challenge – an annual competition hosted by the Canadian Culinary Federation. One of the notable desserts was the Carrot Cake with Mascarpone Icing, created by Guillaume Cantin of Quebec.

Humber student in 2007 CCFCC Junior competition
A culinary student from Humber College won the honour of representing Ontario in the finals at the 2007 National Knorr®/CCFCC Junior Competition, taking place June 1. Melissa Salas placed first, with another Humber student, Cheska Ang, coming in third, making their instructor, Chef James Bodanis, very proud.  The culinary competition takes place across 10 provinces in early spring, in order to determine the finalists who compete for the national title. “Humber’s achievement in this competition reflects the strength and professionalism of our students, and their ability to product topnotch cuisine under demanding and high-pressure environments,” said Alister Mathieson, dean, Hospitality, Recreation & Tourism.