(gentle piano music) (gentle piano music continues) (indistinct) - [Person] Yes.

(faint speaking) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music continues) (gentle piano music continues) (food rustling) (gentle piano music) - Butter, butter.

(gentle piano music) I think people underestimate the power that food truly has.

Food is medicine.

Food has the power to heal.

Food has the power to nourish, food has the power to bring people together and break barriers.

If you really wanna understand the people, and who they are, and where they come from, and what their culture is, you do it through experiencing their food and it actually starts to connect threads and connect dots, and it's that history, and that changing of cycles and changing of guards, of chefs, that brings in innovation, brings in new flavors, new understanding and progress in the industry.

(indistinct) (gentle orchestral music) (indistinct) - People forget how international Detroit is, especially with the automotive industry, and the great chefs of France really introduced that with Paul Bocuse, André Soltner, the Troisgros brothers.

These are all guys I staged with, learned from, they came out of their kitchens not only to present themselves, and get to know people and people to get to know them, but to present their food and to show us what great food could be and how it was being presented to modernize, on a daily basis, how things were going at the time.

Chefs from Detroit adapted to those types of cooking and understood these chefs, and they were good enough to that they could translate that into their own style of food.

(gentle piano music) - All the great chefs in Europe were writing books, Michel Guérard, André Soltner's cookbook came out from the tests in New York City, Paul Bocuse, of course, I mean, he was the first internationally-recognized chef, everything he did was all about the fundamentals but he was a superstar, he had a great imagination and a great personality.

They were not just chefs, they were entrepreneurs, they owned their own business, and at the time in Detroit, there weren't a lot of chef-driven restaurants, and I was my own owner, I found it quite interesting how they would engage the customer experience and they were the driving force behind the restaurant, not another owner or businessperson, not the maître d', it was the chef who came out, said, "I own this restaurant, I'm proud of this place and thank you for dining."

I was really influenced by that and it helped me be successful with my own business.

(gentle piano music) - If you had an opportunity, for any reason, to spend any time in the kitchen with Paul Bocuse or any of the great chefs of France, you just jump at it immediately.

For me personally, because Paul Bocuse was a chef restaurateur, it fueled my passion for cooking as well as running a restaurant.

(person laughing) - That's hard-boiled.

(people laughing) I'm really embarrassed, sorry, voila.

- [Person] Voila.

(light clattering) (indistinct) - Nouvelle cuisine, that was the new wave of French food and that followed through into the United States with many of the great chefs that came to our country with World's Fair in New York, and they liked America so much, they stayed here and they were going to, you know, change America into French food too, which it was for a long period of time.

All of these great chefs nurtured and brought up a whole round of American chefs that were here working for them, that gave birth to this next generation of the advancement of American food.

We struck off on a different path using American ingredients, which we were so proud of because we've got one of the best agricultural systems in the world, and this whole generation was to recreate dining into fun and enjoyable, and not overly pompous, and inspirational but spontaneous, and just really having fun with food and pushing the limits of what great things can I do?

You know, like Wolfgang turning... You know, smoked-salmon pizza, you know, everybody was, like, pushing the boundaries of making foods that we love really special.

(gentle piano music) - Around the time that Jeremiah Tower and Alice Walters were making their mark in American cuisine, Ferdinand Metz was making the world aware that America had resources too, that we had the best products in the world, and they had beautiful game, and fish, and produce, and Metz promoted American chefs, American products the same way... (indistinct) Promoted the foods and the expertise of French cooking back in the day.

Ferdinand is probably the most important leader in terms of culinary development in this country.

(light clattering) (food sizzling) - I cooked all my life.

I cook every day.

Two meals, I cook every day.

The reason for it, I love it, very simple.

I love cooking and I learn every day.

I find out things that I didn't know before.

So cooking has been my life, has been my family's life, my father, master chef, my brother's a master chef, grew up in a small family business, a hotel butcher shop and restaurant, so when the time came, my father simply said to me, "Oh, by the way, we found an apprenticeship for you," that was the choice of career, right?

And what did you say?

"Yeah, of course, why not?

I'm already into this thing, so why would I not pursue that?"

And so, we did, my brother and I, we both did two apprenticeships, one in baking and pastry, one in cooking.

A lot of chefs today, they miss the pastry part, and sometimes, that shows.

Came to America in about '62, worked in the best restaurant in America in those days called Le Pavillon in New York City, was banquet chef at the Plaza Hotel in New York, then 15 years at the H.J.

Heinz Company in Pittsburgh as manager of their new product division, and along the way, I got my BA and my MBA at the University of Pittsburgh.

(gentle piano music) When I came to Culinary Institute of America, it was very much grounded in tradition.

There's nothing wrong with that, in fact, I'm a big believer of traditional, but I think you need to go beyond that at times, we kind of try to introduce a new way of thinking in terms of how you look at food, how you celebrate food even, how you pick ingredients, and so, that was part of my vision, to bring the faculty together and to innovate new programs, so we moved away from recipe-cooking to understanding cooking in its natural form.

What you need to do is really look at the food, look at the balance.

When you talk about flavors, they need to harmonize, they shouldn't contradict, what can contradict are textures, are colors, those can vary, but when it comes to flavor, it must harmonize, that's my philosophy.

(gentle piano music) At the Culinary Institute of America, we graduated, while I was there, about 45,000 students, so no matter where I go, invariably I've run into somebody who graduated from the school, which, of course, for the teacher is the greatest legacy, to see people that you had an influence in their career, and who then went on and achieved something.

(gentle piano music) When we moved here to be in California, we found out that, you know, we have all these farmers here with all the olive trees and citrus.

It brings you back to Earth, it brings you back to what food is all about in many ways.

Although I'm 84 today, I have a different lifestyle.

Everybody, I think, has to have a routine.

The first thing we do is when we get up, we meditate, and then, we do the stretching.

(gentle piano music) Between swimming and tennis, we get a lot of activity and that's been that big change in my life.

What I learned is that I need to do those things in order to feel better.

You discipline yourself.

I realize that chefs today, they're busy, but they never should lose sight of the fact that the way they live today is not going to work for them in the future, and the adjustment everybody has to go through, I went through, it is really to understand that there has to be a different lifestyle for you, you cannot afford not to take the time to apply some things now that will help you in the future, if it's longevity or if it's health, if it's allowing you to pursue the activities that you want to pursue, all those things are very important for the future.

Very good.

(truck humming) - [Tyler] Hey, Dino.

(upbeat orchestral music) - How you doing, Chef?

Got your order for you.

- Awesome, thank you.

(loud clattering) - The culinary competition scene here in the Detroit area has become very well-known nationally, internationally.

Some of the best chefs, the best in America, started with the competition, they started with the Culinary Olympics.

You got some of these hotshot chefs back in the '80s, 1988 National Culinary Team, it's still recognized as one of the best culinary teams of all time, of any country, they did phenomenal work, so a lot of us young chefs coming up saw them and were like, "We want a piece of that.

We wanna be like that," so we did it, and that's still carrying on today and it's really put us on the map.

It really makes you pay attention to detail, it makes your knife cuts perfect, it makes your lineup of your food exquisite and one of the best, and that's why we do it, we do it to become better.

(upbeat orchestral music) (ice clattering) - We're at Orchard Lake Country Club hosting country club chefs from the Metro Detroit area.

This dinner is going to be salon-style competition food.

The guests will have the opportunity to eat beautiful displays on platters.

These platters and displays have been around since the beginning of culinary itself, and the Detroit chefs have always had it part of their history, and I think this is gonna be a very unique and amazing dinner.

(upbeat orchestral music) (upbeat orchestral music continues) - As you go through different competitions, you begin to realize one thing, it's the learning experience, it's not the medal, it's not the award, it's none of that stuff, it's what you learn from it, and I think if you go into a competition with that thought in mind, you will benefit and you will do better.

Cook for yourself, cook to your own standard.

(upbeat orchestral music) The evolution of competitions, it was mostly about fancy, garde-manger, prepared food platters, and as the the '70s came to an end, we said, "Well, we can do things different."

(upbeat orchestral music) We introduced hot food competitions.

You test people on both ends, right?

Can you make food look great?

Can you also make it taste great?

And we focused so much on that, that the American team essentially won three consecutive world championships, '80, '84 and '88 in the hot food category because we said, "That's what cooking is all about."

Dan Hugelier was on that team, he's an exceptional chef, he's a lot of fun to work with.

- My first Olympic experience was in 1980.

The night before the competition, Metz came into the kitchen and said, "Dan, how are we looking?"

And I said, "Ferdinand, the national team is gonna lose."

He said, "What?"

I open the coolers, I showed him, the other regional team members wouldn't stay.

I wanted to make it over.

They said, "That's not ours, that's theirs.

Screw those guys," and Metz looked at it and realized... (indistinct) And I said, "Ferdinand, we can make it over."

He said, "Let's do it."

It was me, my apprentice, his name was Dennis... (indistinct) I called him "Dennis the Menace," and Metz, just the three of us.

The competition the next morning was for 200 people for this Turkey Oklahoma, a guy showed up in the middle of the evening named Keith Famie, and he asked me, "Hey, Danny," he says, "Can I help with anything?

How you guys doing?"

And I said, "Keith, we're in trouble, we need to remake the whole entire mise-en-place for the hot food, can you go to the Canadian Pacific Hotel?

I need kosher cream, madeira wine, brandy, and a few other things," he said, "Absolutely."

We stayed up all night and we remade the Turkey Oklahoma, they won gold medal in hot food for the first time of any American team.

I was so angry at these other chefs for the lousy job they did in the hot food, and I'm walking through the culinary salon and I see two tables with three platters of each, six gold medals, and then, every platter is my pate, or galantine, or mousse, all the stuff I made extra, these guys came through the walk-ins, cleaned them out, and just to get medal gain, put out three platters each.

On the way home, I'm on the airplane, Ferdinand Metz came and sat next to me, he said, "Dan, how are you doing?"

I said, "Well, I'm never gonna compete again," and Ferdinand said, "I'm surprised to hear you say that, Dan," and I said, "Why is that?"

And he said, "Well, I'm surprised you'd let someone else set your path."

Ah, Ferdinand... (Dan laughing) I went on two more teams after that and I'm glad I did.

Those experiences taught me more than just cooking, taught me about character, about life, about sharing, and those were good times.

(upbeat orchestral music) (upbeat orchestral music continues) (upbeat orchestral music continues) - What makes this evening meaningful and special is the cause that we all are supporting this evening.

Tonight, we are raising funds for Forgotten Harvest, an incredible organization dedicated to feeding those in need through our community.

Tonight is a celebration of great food, great people, and a great cause.

I encourage you to enjoy every bite, connect with the chefs, listen to their stories, celebrate the incredible impact that our community and our chef community has made right here in Detroit and far beyond.

(faint speaking) (upbeat orchestral music) (upbeat orchestral music continues) (faint speaking) - While the United States Culinary Olympic team of chefs, including several from Michigan, were winning gold medals on the global stage, another competition was brewing.

It was started by the most influential and famous chef in the world, Paul Bocuse.

It was a hot food competition designed for restaurant chefs held every two years called the Bocuse d'Or.

Back in the '80s and early '90s, I think there were, like, 17 or 18 countries that competed.

Each country would hold a pre-competition and that winner would represent their respective country in Lyon, France for the world competition.

In the U.S., 10 chefs were selected under the guidelines of the Patel Club du Midwest, an organization of French-born chefs.

Most of the chefs were from New York or Chicago, but in 1988, three were from Detroit, Ed Janos, Keith Famie and Brian Polcyn.

In 1990, Janos and Polcyn were selected again, and in 1992, Polcyn and a new guy named... (indistinct) Were selected.

Each time, the Detroit chefs finish in the top five, with Polcyn and Janos finishing first runner-up in different years.

It's another example of how Detroit's culinary scene was overlooked nationally, but brought to life through competition.

From these international competitions, we brought back so many new ideas and trends, and photographs of beautiful food from some of the best chefs in the world.

They became part of our menus and part of Detroit.

- We're gonna take this.

- Detroit became a beautiful place for a chef to grow and to show his skills.

I love sharing my knowledge to the students.

(gentle piano music) What we're doing here is I'm teaching my students, you know, the old classical way.

Here, we have shrimp and we have a little bit of... (indistinct) Here, which is, you know, very classical where you coat the product, the nice shine on here is... You know, it's a fish consummate, which is a clarified fish broth with a little bit of gelatin which we call aspect, and back in the '70s, late '60s, whole fish, whole chickens, whole turkeys were left natural, and they were whole and they were decorated, then they would take sliced meat to serve with it, so, you know, it was kinda big, it was kinda bulky, times have really changed because right now, at 2025, you're gonna see where you could take a fish, or a chicken, or a pheasant, or something like that, prepare it maybe three different ways, it's gonna have smaller portions, easy to eat, it won't get damaged when people come by and eat it, something like this, people are gonna start digging into it and it's gonna be a mess, that's why they don't do it anymore.

(gentle piano music) You know, the modern trends have become a little bit lighter, more health-conscious, smaller, more numerous pieces on a buffet platter and maybe a little bit more elegantly-presented than they were, but all the way through history, it was always some of the best work, the best knife cuts, the most precision, paying attention to detail, having your mise-en-place in place, being organized, that's what really set this group of chefs apart from all the rest, and these are the chefs that help presentation evolve in the food industry from very basic presentations to what we see today with layers and stacking of food, and it's not just for presentation, this food had to taste good, it had to be well-seasoned, it had to show seasoning, we had to have mint shallots and mint garlic, and the fresh, you know, herbs and the right spices, it all had to make sense, and in today's kitchen, it's more important than ever that the food tastes good and matches the presentation, and that's what we're doing.

(gentle piano music) - Okay, that looks great, guys.

Let's turn this and we'll get it to the table.

Ready?

- Yep.

(gentle piano music) (gentle piano music continues) (gentle piano music continues) - You know, I think it's very important to get involved in these culinary competitions for students and chefs, by just going through a process like this, you learn so much about the food, the compatibility, different cooking techniques, a student or a chef will get much more advanced if they participate in a culinary competition.

(gentle piano music) (upbeat orchestral music) - We're, right now, preparing for a competition in a couple of weeks, this is a regional qualifier for the ACF, meaning that whoever wins this regional qualifier gets to compete on a national level, so there's quite a bit at stake there.

There will be student teams, there will be individual students competing, individual professionals competing in different categories to hopefully get the opportunity to compete on a national level for a national title.

(upbeat orchestral music) Right now, the team that we have, we have four young ladies and a gentleman that are working really well together.

(upbeat orchestral music) You know, year-to-year, you don't know what kinda team you're gonna form, but chemistry is most important to help drive forward.

(upbeat orchestral music) Competition isn't for everybody, not for every chef, not for every student, it takes a particular type of person to want to do it, I mean, it takes a lot of dedication, you have to be very driven, very focused.

You have to have a very critical eye for details.

So in our particular kitchen, we ended up taping off the countertops and tables that they'll be working on to kinda replicate the amount of space they'll have in the competition.

(upbeat orchestral music) (machine whirring) You know, as teams evolve together, there's always one individual that stands out, and has taken initiative and has been motivated to kinda help drive things, and Madeline Group has been the one that's really taken that role and embraced it as far as leading in my absence and making sure that, you know, the team is where they need to be.

(upbeat orchestral music) You know, the team dynamic is a lot different than individuals, it's not as simple as relying on yourself for everything, you're relying on four other people to help support, you know, the vision, the execution, for you to be able to work cohesively with five people, it's a lot more difficult, a lot more challenging than, you know, doing something on your own.

(upbeat orchestral music) (upbeat orchestral music continues) (faint speaking) (upbeat orchestral music) - We have teams from all over the central region, which for the ACF is 15 states in our region, and we have two teams from Michigan, Schoolcraft College and Culinary Institute of Michigan, they come in, they have a specific amount of time to put out and, you know, create that menu from scratch, including all the butchery.

They have to learn to work together.

(upbeat orchestral music) - So my role in the salon team is the pastry portion, I am making a warm rhubarb cake, which is kind of a spinoff of my own individual plate that I had done for a competition previously, but since we are doing more of our in-season fruit, we are incorporating rhubarb and strawberry with it.

- This is my first semester actually competing, so it's much more intense than the last two semesters have been.

It's been a lot, I never imagined it would be this intense, but I do love it, for me, it's been a challenge trying to work in a team because it's not something I'm used to, because when I'm in the kitchen, I'm used to being on my own and, like, having control over everything, but we all work very well together.

- There's a fish course, a salad course, a chicken course, and then, a dessert course in that order, and we have an hour and a half to cook, and then, 20 minutes to plate, so a total of about two hours to get 24 plates to judges.

It teaches me a lot more professionally about what I'm able to do and what I can get done in a certain amount of time.

I think it's a great experience for any student who wants to improve their skills, even in the slightest.

- The intensity is quite enjoyable, it's... Like, 110 minutes goes so fast and it's interesting, you know, you feel like you've been doing something for 10 minutes, you look up and it's, like, 30 seconds.

(upbeat orchestral music) - It's both mental and physical, so mental mise-en-place, you have to know what you're doing now and what you're doing 10 steps ahead, it's like a choreography, and then, physical mise-en-place is having everything ready, like, all ingredients scaled, where you want them, how you want them, equipment placed in a specific way, where you want it, how you want it.

(upbeat orchestral music) - This past Wednesday, the team finished competing at regional qualifiers in Port Huron for a opportunity to advance to nationals, unfortunately, they fell short of that goal.

They accomplished quite a bit along their journey including that day, we decided as a team, we wanted to set the bar very high.

We were the first team to go out and we came in second, and we were beat by about a half-a-point.

They gave it their all and kudos to the other team that's advancing.

(loud humming) (birds chirping) (power tool whirring) - There's very few art forms that open up what we're doing while we're doing it to the general public.

(power tool whirring) It's mesmerizing that this fragile, delicate thing, that we can actually make things out of it, that we build things, we can do fine details.

I've compared it similarly to, like, flowers, that you can have the most beautiful flower, but it only lasts for a moment, so here, we have beauty that's temporary, but it's unique to the occasion.

(power tool whirring) - Ice carving has been around for a long time, it dates back to the 17th century in China, they first used ice carving as some ceremonial purposes, but they also... You know, why have a block of ice with your food display when you can have it a beautiful, ornate work of art that keeps your food good, keeps your food cold on the buffet?

So that's sort of how they're paired together.

- Chefs are looking for ways to make things as nice and beautiful as they can, so there's a certain ambiance or a perception of coolness with an ice sculpture in the room, and some of it, we do functional things where you're looking to get elevation and movement on a buffet table.

- [Person] Yeah, these under here are extra heavy.

(power tool whirring) (upbeat orchestral music) (power tool whirring) - When it comes to the world of ice carving, you have to have creativity, you have to have technical skill, put that all together and you make these beautiful sculptures.

Here at OCC, we have Chef Tyler Coleman.

(power tool whirring) - When I was a student here, I had opportunities to carve at national competitions, I had the opportunity after winning nationals to go to Alaska and carve at the World Ice Art competition.

Going to Alaska and them giving you a giant block of ice, I mean, this block of ice is 10 foot tall and having a sculpture that's, you know, 16 foot tall when you're done, and it was quite amazing, so I was about 20 years old when I had the opportunity to do that.

(upbeat orchestral music) (loud humming) Move all that water off the ice.

The ice itself is pretty special, it's frozen very methodically, it's frozen from the bottom all the way to the top while it's circulating, so it gets all the air and impurities out of it as it freezes, that's why it's crystal clear by the time it's done freezing, it's a 400-pound block of ice and it's roughly, you know, 40 inches tall, 10 inches deep and 20 inches wide, so it's pretty standard, anywhere you go in the world, it's the same size piece of ice.

(upbeat orchestral music) (chain rattling) (upbeat orchestral music) (glove rustling) You know, they use handsaws, chisels, nice, big chisels to get beautiful effects even down to, you know, ice picks, prong chippers, this was a major tool for a long time to sculpt ice.

(power tool whirring) We're pretty fortunate that the industry has grown so much within the last 10 years that we have modern tools, we're using modern die grinders and, you know, handmade aluminum bits that are made from some of the famous ice carvers in the world.

They give a really nice texture and really improve the speed at which you can carve.

(power tool whirring) (upbeat orchestral music) (power tool whirring) - The Plymouth Ice Festival has been going on for 42 years now, it's a celebration of all things winter with schools in the area, Oakland Community College is one of them, Schoolcraft College is another one, they're here today, actually.

They have some of the world's best ice carvers, Ted Waker, his resume speaks for itself, these programs are world-renowned for ice carving and teaching kids how to bring a skill into a job where that might set them apart, you know, a lot of times, you go into a job interview and you might be the exact same as five other chefs that are competing for that head chef job, but you can ice carve so you get the job, it's something that the country club can offer to its clients.

(power tool whirring) - So one of the coolest things about the ice carving community is that it's a group, it's a family, everyone sort of knows everyone, when you carve, you carve with a lot of guys from all over the world, all over the country, and when I was a young student at OCC carving, I remember coming to Kellogg Park and seeing Ted Waker carve for the first time, you know, he was the first professional ice carver I ever saw carve, and it's kinda cool to see him carve out here with his young students and just keeping the whole art alive, the craft alive is just so amazing.

(power tool whirring) - The ice and the sculptor, it's always unique, you're always thinking of the next thing, "How can I make it better?

How can I reach into, you know, a different part of my artistry?"

It's always a big plus when they give you the freedom to take a common frozen piece of ice and carve whatever you want.

(power tool whirring) (traffic humming) (light clattering) - So that's a nice meringue, you know?

I call it, like, "Elvis' Do," Elvis Presley.

Elvis Presley was this guy back in the '50s, he kinda did rock and roll, but... - [Person] Yeah.

Heard of him.

- All right.

I see a master chef as somebody that's always trying to get better and not be happy with what you did today, but try to do something more, 'cause if you have that title, that moniker, people look at you different.

I've always taken that responsibility seriously and tried to push in that regard.

Okay, just kind of stir it, go ahead.

(gentle piano music) - I was fortunate to develop that program, in fact, our first examination was '81.

A master chef essentially needs to demonstrate, in a fairly cruel examination, all elements of cooking, it covers nutrition, it covers food science, it covers experimental cooking, baking and pastry, it covers the whole range.

Maybe that's the reason why only about 20% on average actually get through the examination.

There are some people there who realize just at the very beginning of the test, they were not ready for it and they dropped out because they understood this is far more demanding than what they ever thought, nobody knew, nobody had an idea, they couldn't ask anybody, "Well, how did you do and what do you think I should be doing not to make a mistake?"

We had people from Detroit... (indistinct) Because he took the test that was associated with a fair degree of risk, I would say, and as a result, I think you have, today, probably more certified master chefs in the Detroit area than any other area in the United States.

He became a mentor to those who wanted to take that journey.

(gentle percussive music) - Ferdinand called me to the President's office at the CIA and he said, "Dan, I would like you to take the master chefs test."

It was my third time on the Olympic team and I said, "I don't really wanna take the test, sir."

I was pretty busy, you know, I'm a hotel chef, I'm on the Olympic team, I was on the U.S.

ice carving team, he said, "Dan, I want our national team members to be certified master chefs," oh, Ferdinand.

(laughs) So I took the test, it grueling, but I think the years of competition seasoned me for it, and I was used to cameras and people watching so that didn't bother me.

It's a great test, but I don't think anyone should pursue the test until they did, like, 20 years' experience at least, you know?

(gentle piano music) - Well, my first experience with a master chef was Milo Cihelka, and to me, he became the pinnacle of what a master chef should be, it wasn't until later that I became exposed to Chef Dan Hugelier, master chef, Chef Jeff Gabriel, master chef, Chef Leopold Schaeli, master chef, that I became more aware of individuals that had accomplished this level, this highest-pinnacle level of certification in our industry, I wanted to know what I knew and what I didn't know, so that's what drove me to push towards that certification.

So as soon as the expulsion of that water comes out of the mushroom... (Kevin mimicking steam) It should evaporate, so... - Out of the 72 master chefs in the United States, 11 of them have been instructors here at Schoolcraft College.

- If you get hired in here, you're expected to go through the exam even if you don't pass it, but we want you to go through that eight-day procedure.

You learn so much 'cause you're forced, and you're worried about all these topics and you have to research.

For me, I think I learned more by taking the exam than, you know, walking around with the master chef title.

(gentle piano music) - I thought I was a good cook and I said, "You know, I think I'm gonna test my cooking ability and kinda measure it against something," I had studied for almost two years, Ferdinand Metz was the lead judge and he stood up, and he put out his hand and he said, "Congratulations," and I look at it, I said, "You mean I passed?"

He's like, "Yeah, congratulations, Chef," and so, I was just shocked.

- Or just before 6:00, we'll have you guys start setting the buffet so that's ready to go, then as soon as that's center... (indistinct) (gentle piano music) The master chef certification was really a door opening for my career and my path, it gave a direction in the early parts, it gave a target, a personal benchmark to see where I stand as a cook, as a culinarian, and to put that into the kitchens and be evaluated by other individuals that are at the exceptionally high level that hold themselves to that standard.

(gentle orchestral music) - I got my certification in October of 2022, so I'm the most recent addition to the ranks of CMC.

It was one of those things I wanted to do to prove myself that I was able to do it, that I had the skills and the mental fortitude to get through the exam, and, you know, I always looked up to the master chefs that were here at Schoolcraft for many, many years, and I didn't know if it was something that was gonna be attainable in my career, but fortunately I was able to pass the exam and here I am.

(gentle orchestral music) - I saw the "Taste of Gold" book, and the "Taste of Gold" book had all of these different chefs in there of which had earned that title of certified master chef, and I saw how proud and stout they were, and how refined they looked, and how professional and polished they looked in that book, and I said, "I would really like that," in my heart, I said, "I want that," and that's how I learned it, that's how I learned what it meant, but as far as the certification for me in my heart, I believe it's a combination of so many different things, so many years of service, all of the things that you've been through, all the things that you've utilized and learned within the craft, and you end up, somehow, some way, form or fashion, you end up utilizing it when you're a part of that particular exam.

I was 39 when I first attempted the CMC exam.

Some people were encouraging me to do it, I knew there were some other local chefs, including Chef Brian Beland that was taking the exam and I wanted to go, and Chef Gawronski, he looked at me and he said, "Do you really believe that you're ready to go and take the exam?"

I said, "Yeah, you know, I believe that I'm ready."

So it's eight days, and I'm cooking every day, and when the lights are on and you have to actually cook, I don't really care who you are, it changes you, it's, like, you're a grown man or grown woman and you become, like, a little boy and a little girl pretty quickly in that arena because it's just you, that cutting board and that knife.

(gentle orchestral music) (gentle orchestral music continues) I'm watching individuals doing things and they're just, like, you know, very robotic and fast and organized and clean and crisp, not that I wasn't, but I just did not understand the flow.

I never let that, like, sort of affect me, I didn't really know exactly what to do, but I knew that I wanted to be there.

You go inside to the jury each afternoon and they sort of let you know the sum of how you've done each day and what you need to correct and do better, and so, I kept navigating through that, you know, you're talking 15, you know, 15 hours in total, not necessarily cooking, you know, you're probably about five hours of cooking, four and a half of actual production and service, and then, you know, another 45 minutes of it to get cleaned up, get your station cleaned up, and then, wait for your critiquing portion, and I did not have enough points to make it to the eighth day, the evaluators, they asked me did I have any questions, I just thanked them, I just told 'em how important this was to me to be there and that they would see me again.

Only thing I kept thinking was not about the failure, I was thinking to myself, "What will people think?

What will people say?

Wow, you know, you're the one that didn't make it."

In your mind, you start thinking that way, and so, I move on with things, I kept going and moving forward, I said, "You know, I'm gonna take a different approach.

I'm not just gonna keep practicing, over and over again, the exam," I started to concentrate on my fatigue, and what I would do is I would choose competitions that had the most rigor that felt close to the exam.

I knew that if I could ever get to the finish line of the eighth day, that I really would need that stamina, that adrenaline and the movement and the feeling of it, and I would stay up all night, then I would go do the competition and plan in my heart and head that I'm gonna write my menu fast, even if I'm not comfortable and satisfied with it, and then, I start getting a rhythm with that, I wasn't tired after it, so to match it and to continue to build the fatigue, I would leave there and then go to work, I would stay up and keep grinding until I could feel like, "Okay, that felt like day four.

That felt like day five."

And so, I kept doing it.

I had a strategy that was my own as opposed to listening to someone just say, "Well, this is how I did it, and this is how you did it, and this is what you could do," because I found that each exam sort of creates its own experience, its own culture, its own style, and then, I just lasered in on my plan, my focus, and just stayed with the course of action as I had it planned all along, which was the fatigue and all the things I had ever done my whole career, it just all started to come together and that's when I did it.

(gentle orchestral music) When you think of being in the middle of Jeff Gabriel, Dan Hugelier, Kevin Gawronski, Joe Decker, Chef Leah... (indistinct) And then, from that, you end up knowing that all of them in some way, some form, they end up knowing or going through Chef Milos in some capacity, and knowing that Chef Ferdinand Metz's designing the exam, and then, Chef Milo's taking that exam, and he's in your backyard, like, that's different, that's not normal to me, and when I saw that, I surely am not doing a bad service to myself and my craft by connecting with these individuals, and I'm proud of that more than anything I've ever owned.

(crowd applauding) (indistinct) - [Person] And we're going to have a session of Kitchen Clinic.

- [James] And we're going to discuss sponge cakes.

- Tell me, do you ever use what they call a filler in a...?

In your hamburger?

Either the large patties...?

- What do you mean "a filler?"

- When people talk... I'm not accusing you, but you know how people often put extra ingredients into hamburg filler?

- Oh, you mean cereal?

- [Person] Yes, that type of thing.

- No, I'm a purist.

- James Beard was one of the most prolific American writers about food.

He celebrated American ingredients and American food, he loved all food, I mean, he was, you know, a big monster, six-foot guy, but he really celebrated American food.

As the American food scene evolved in this country and started to grow, people started to pay attention to these chefs from wherever they came from.

(upbeat string music) The original "Cook's Magazine" Awards was created in 1984, now, "Cook's Magazine" was the big cook's magazine of its day and the prestigious one, and they put together a '50s who's-who of American food, and in there were writers of which James Beard was honored the first year, I was one of the first 10 chefs to be honored, as well as everybody evolving around this food scene.

With James Beard's departure to the great bar in the sky, they decided to rename the awards from the "Cook's Magazine" Awards to the James Beard Awards.

From that point forward, if you won a James Beard Award, you put it down on the plate.

(upbeat string music) Detroit is blessed with a number of James Beard Award winners in journalism, in pastries, and in chefs, and it's a highly competitive environment, we compete with other cities as well, we have a ton of nominees every year, and being even nominated for the James Beard Award is a significant honor.

- James Beard and the James Beard Foundation represent kind of a gourmand classification that separates a chef, or a restaurant, or an author, et cetera, kind of from the pack, it's basically, you know, they... It's often called, like, our Oscars or our Grammys of the American chef world.

(indistinct) - James Beard Foundation started in the Beard house, it all started with that beautiful 1841 townhouse in New York City where James Beard lived, it was a cooking school, and it was really a place for food, so when he passed away, his friends rallied to save it, it was so meaningful of a place, led by Julia Child, Jacques Pépin, and notably so many others.

It was really about food education, we were coming out of an era of thinking of chefs as craftsmen, we were saying they're artists, that this is gastronomical art, it should be appreciated, should be studied, should be tasted, and over time, the role of the chef has changed, and we really love and understand and appreciate the trajectory, so we're seeing chefs go from artistry to celebrity with the advent of food media, and now, where they are today, which makes the most sense and it's the most sort of honest perspective, is chefs as activists and advocates.

(hand tapping) (relaxed orchestral music) - Chef Jimmy Schmidt brought about the idea of a dinner of the decades here celebrating Michigan, celebrating Michigan chefs, Michigan James Beard winners, Michigan wineries, Michigan sommeliers, the collaboration of what the state of Michigan has to offer as far as agriculture, and its food purveyors, and the restaurant scene.

Within 100 days, we pulled this thing together with 12 different chefs and were fortunate enough to do it here at the Country Club Detroit, supported by the membership and the Board of Governors that believe in supporting the James Beard Foundation and local colleges here in Michigan, the Schoolcraft College and Oakland Community College, as we fundraise to pass on the educational opportunities for students at those schools.

(upbeat orchestral music) - Country Club of Detroit was founded in 1897, first clubhouse was down on Lake St.

Clair, an existing building, they quickly outgrew that, in 1927, Smith, Hinchman and Grylls reconstructed this, again, along the same Tudor design.

We've been here since, we're coming up on our 100th year in this clubhouse.

We're very fortunate to have a long relationship with excellent chefs here at the club, none more prominent than our current master chef, Brian Beland, to celebrate the effort that goes into what it is to be a chef, what it is to be a culinary is a high honor.

(faint speaking) - [Jimmy] We're pulling in all the flavors of Michigan that are so significant, animals that graze on the plants, the vines that grow here for grapes and wine, the hops and all of the grains that go into spirit making and such, so tonight, we're capturing why Michigan is so great, from its agriculture, to its rivers, to its lakes, and to its people and forests.

- The real punchline of the wine tonight is it's all Michigan, and we wanted to make sure that all of the Michigan wines were absolutely the best that they could be, everything was vetted, we tasted through everything and picked out dinner wines that sing because we want the guest tonight to go, "Wow.

Michigan?"

Right?

That's the whole idea.

(faint speaking) (wine cork popping) (faint speaking) - [Person] Anytime you open up your kitchen, there's a little something inside that makes you think if you're good enough or not, or what are they gonna think as they come into your kitchen, is the cleanliness tight?

Is the operation smooth?

And you work towards making sure their carts are there, their mise-en-place, their food, their ingredients, everything they need to feel welcome, no different than if you bring a guest into your dining room.

You wanna show well, you wanna show well for the guests, but you also want to show well for your peers, and that's the exciting part, and really promote and support not just the Club, but the whole greater Detroit area that... And Michigan and its produce and its purveyors.

(upbeat orchestral music) (upbeat orchestral music continues) (upbeat orchestral music continues) - Thank you for your talent.

(upbeat orchestral music) - Then we got some beer vinegar that goes on top... (upbeat orchestral music) - Pickled ramps, which were locally harvested.

(upbeat orchestral music) (faint speaking) - [Jimmy] When the dinner starts, and we're all elbow to elbow in the kitchen working in unison to capture these different visions of food on plates, all within trying to quickly produce 250 meals in a very short period of time and keep the flow going, there's a sense of comradery, there's a sense of excitement, there's a sense of danger as we try to get all of these pieces of the puzzle landed on the plate at the right time to share the creative vision with the guest.

- [Person] And the people who live here, right?

(upbeat orchestral music) (upbeat orchestral music continues) (upbeat orchestral music continues) (upbeat orchestral music continues) - [Person] The one thing that draws us all together is the idea of hospitality, and it's unique to bring all these different people, all the different thought processes, all the different approaches together in one.

That's what makes a night like tonight really special, and celebrating each other, celebrating the greater Michigan, Detroit area, what it has to offer, and bringing a focus of support, not just to each other, but reaching outside of our own individual establishments and supporting and giving back to the areas and the people that support us.

- [People] Bon appétit!

(people laughing) (indistinct) (gentle piano music) (gentle piano music continues) (gentle piano music continues) (gentle piano music continues) (gentle piano music continues)