On a rainy, unseasonably cool Sunday in September, two Italian reality television personalities brought a little sunshine to Virginia Beach. Top Chef fan favorite, Fabio Viviani and Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Teresa Giudice along with Culinary Institute of Virginia Chef Instructor, Dedra Blount headlined as the finale attraction during the Mediterranean Festival at the Virginia Beach oceanfront. The three day event began on Friday, September 16, was a celebration of Greek and Italian cuisine, music and culture.

The show began with a flawless cooking demo by Chef Dedra Blount, who effortlessly produced a beautiful dish of Quinoa Risotto and Veal Chops over a beautiful Pear Sauce with the assistance of CIV student Jeanine McDougald. CIV Academic Director, Chef Steve Sadowski was also on hand to demonstrate the proper technique for fabricating veal chops.

Teresa Giudice, known for her somewhat explosive temper, eclectic style, feuding family, legal woes, four rambunctious daughters, and New York Times bestselling cookbooks, Skinny Italian and Fabulicious, was next to take the stage. Teresa demonstrated how to make Devil Shrimp with Angel Hair Pasta which is one of the recipes featured in her most recent cookbook. As she cooked, she fielded questions from the audience. Although Teresa seemed a little uncomfortable with the actual cooking portion of the demo, she wooed the audience with her candor, vivaciousness and down-to-earth quality that seems to be sincerely who she is.

Culinary team with Fabio Viviani of Top Chef and Teresa Giudice of Real Housewives of New Jersey

The icing on the proverbial cake in the event was Fabio Viviani, who came to the stage amid cheers and cat calls from screaming fans. Completely comfortable and commanding on stage, Fabio had the cameraman come right up to the demo table so that every step of his presentation could be seen clearly and up close by the audience. Fabio was assisted by CIV student, Jackie Beau. As Fabio began to make his famous Potato Gnocchi dish, he regaled the audience with funny antidotes and his philosophy about cooking and how Italians use very simple, fresh ingredients. He kept the audience completely entertained and engaged while giving cooking instructions.  After producing a pillowy light Gnocchi that he then finished in vibrant roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce, he had every person in the audience come up to the stage to try one. Fabio’s hilarious stories about growing up in an Italian family were endearing and you totally felt how sincere and passionate he is about cooking and sharing his love of food with his family, friends and fans.

“Those serving our country have unique needs and ECPI University has proudly been serving them for 45 years,” said Bob Larned, Executive Director of Military Education at ECPI University. “We do everything possible to assist military students in getting their degree, including our military distance learning partnerships with every branch of the military and our unique partnership with the Wounded Warrior Program to provide on base training with our Information Assurance Training program.”

The 1,518 colleges, universities and trade schools on this year’s list prioritize the recruitment of students with military experience. According to the magazine, schools are making the grade by offering scholarships and discounts, veterans’ clubs, full-time staff, military credit and other services to those who served. The 2012 list of Military Friendly Schools was compiled through extensive research and a data driven survey of more than 8,000 schools nationwide. Methodology, criteria and weighting for the list were developed with the assistance of an Academic Advisory Board consisting of educators from schools across the country.

Culinary volunteers chop onions and peppers for lasagna.

Foodbank works to provide solutions to hunger and certain consequences of poverty in the community by promoting food recovery by means of acquiring and distributing food, clothing, and related products to those in crisis.

The Culinary Institute of Virginia has been involved since 2007 in the Hampton Roads area. Chef Patrick Kearney has been leading student volunteers to prepare meals as a part of the “Kids Café.” He speculates that in one year his team has prepared more than 72,000 meals. Ten to 15 culinary students volunteer once a month to prepare the donated food that varies on each occasion. “Students use the opportunity to gain experience, use skills and interact with other students and teachers,” said Chef Kearney. “I tell the students the best way to impact the community is to give their time.”

Culinary student, Matt Davis feels, “It is a good cause and great practice. It is also a great way to build a stronger bond with other students and teachers.” Students usually commit to four hours of volunteer time on each occasion; however, Chef Kearney once had to prepare 600 pounds of turkey at Thanksgiving which took the team more than eight hours.

Chef Kearney explains preparation activities to students.

Omar Gafford is the Director of Healthcare Administration with MCI in Richmond, Virginia. He wanted to provide an opportunity for staff and students to interact with each other in an environment outside of the school. Instructors launched the Foodbank initiative on April 15 in the community kitchen. The community kitchen is a full production kitchen where volunteers prepare and package over 3,500 meals for various child and senior programs. Students involved in MEDIC (Medical Students of ECPI University, Development, Involvement, Community organizations) will assist in the Meals on Wheels.

From left to right, front row: Stephanie White, Nijah Chinn-Gonsalves, Tresa Jordan, Diana Sams, and Monika Haskins. Back row: Thomas Holland, Omar Gafford, Michael Serrate and John Craig.

Study abroad programs are generally imagined in the traditional college setting where students spend a semester away. According to Dr. Glenn Corillo, faculty director of ECPI University’s program, only a third of colleges follow that format while the remaining two-thirds use the same model as ECPI University with two weeks abroad.

Students from ECPI University, Medical Careers Institute and the Culinary Institute of Virginia in Hampton Roads enrolled in Communication 205, Culture and Diversity. Students were in class for two weeks learning about the places and the culture they would visit, two weeks abroad, and then back to the class room for one week.

Study abroad student, Ricki Furlong, who is studying healthcare administration at MCI, ECPI University’s School of Health Science, had high praise for the class. “Dr. Corillo does a great job of getting the principles of the course across. I also think the subject of culture and diversity helped members of the class to grow emotionally. We learned from each other.”

The trip included visits to Beijing, Xian, Shanghai and Hong Kong with items on the itinerary that included:

Erica, a student from Virginia Beach, enjoying the view from the top of one section of the Great Wall of China.

•     A visit to the 2008 Olympic site
•     Exercise instruction from a Tai Chi master
•     A visit and climb of the Great Wall of China
•     A pagoda visit
•     A visit to the Ming tombs where 13 of the 15 emperors re buried
•     A lecture on eastern medicine from the Chinese Medicine Research Center
•     A visit to Tiananmen Square, the largest town square in the world
•     A visit to the Forbidden Palace
•     A visit to the Terra Cotta Museum where 8,000 clay soldiers are buried underground
•     A visit to Banpo village to see how ancient Chinese lived
•     A performance of a Kung Fu show
•     A visit to a Buddha temple
•     A visit to Nanjing Road which is much like Times Square in New York
•     An acrobatic performance
•     Shopping at Stanley Market

ECPI students being treated to a foot massage at a center for Chinese medicine which centers on herbal remedies.

Students learned interesting aspects about China during the course. Due to population issues, the government instituted a policy in 1978 that would allow for only one child per family and that families would be fined for having more. Many families would abort females in order to have a male heir. As a result, by 2020 there will be 50 to 70 million unmarried males with no hope of finding a spouse.

Students noted that there was very little obesity in China which could be attributed to shopping every day for fresh food and lack of sweets. The internet is also censored in China with no search reference for Facebook, George Washington or democracy. The government also controls the heat by turning it on November 15 and off on March 15, incidentally during the time of ECPI University’s visit. The group experienced colder temperatures with no access to heat in many commercial locations. “The entire group came back with a whole new appreciation for our country,” said Dr. Corillo.

Graduates: Dena Horne, Barbara Lee McDonald, Andrea L. Tomlinson

It was an evening of “firsts” that made for a very special graduation for the Culinary Institute of Virginia. On June 24, 180 students graduated in a ceremony at Chrysler Hall in Norfolk, Virginia. It was the largest class to date and 50 percent larger than the class of 2010.

The evening also marked the first graduates of the school’s Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Food Service Management.

Graduates: Grant Loy, Donald Lee, Ryan Travis

One of those graduates was Yanina Yearwood, who originally graduated from CIV in Culinary Arts in 2009, and was the first to enroll and graduate from the Bachelor’s program. Yanina told guests of the ceremony how she had once told her son she wanted to be a chef when he asked her “what do you want to be when you grow up mom?” She pursued her dream and education while working full-time in the United States Navy and raising her son. Two years ago she opened her own personal chef and catering business, Younique Treats, LLC, which has grown more than sixty percent over the last year. “CIV gave me the confidence and skills,” said Yanina in her graduate remarks about starting her own business.

Behind the scenes food preparation at CIV graduation

Graduates also spent the week prior preparing food for their own graduation event. Working out of 11 kitchens, they prepared everything from roast turkeys to salmon salad for more than 1,700 guests and students. “What a better way to teach and model what the business is about than by catering your own event,” said Stephen Perkins, Culinary Institute of Virginia instructor.

Student volunteer, Robert Swann and Steve Nahra of CIV’s Career Services prepare for the after-ceremony celebration