Bertucci’s Executive Chef Stefano Cordova was chosen, as well as other chefs, by First Lady Michelle Obama to participate in her program which calls on the nations chefs to adopt a school in an effort to help educate kids on food and nutrition. Chefs- Move To Schools .

Chef Stefano is interviewed by award-winning journalist Callie Crossley of WGBH in New England. Earlier this month, Chef Stefano was invited to the White House to kick off the campaign. Chef Stefano, along with 299 other national chefs, has traveled to the White House for today’s official kick-off. “Chefs Move To Schools” is part of Mrs. Obama’s larger initiative of ‘Let’s Move!’ to solve the childhood obesity epidemic.“I am honored to participate and represent the Bertucci’s kitchen in the First Lady’s ‘Let’s Move!’ campaign along with others in my field from across the country. I have always been an advocate for healthy, fresh and smarter ingredients in preparing dishes for our guests – especially children,” said Chef Stefano Cordova, Vice President and Executive Chef for Bertucci’s Italian Restaurants. “We are excited to adopt a local school where we’ll put the First Lady’s plan in motion to create healthy dishes incorporating tastes children love. Our whole wheat pizza and multi-grain pasta are popular with families in our restaurants.”

To listen to the interview via podcast, please click on player below.

Powered by Podbean.com

Victoria Epstein, Franchise Partner for Gecko Hospitality rocked away with Philadelphia’s The Culinary Rock Show with Chris Michaels this past week. The live broadcast includes information on how hospitality management candidates can apply with Gecko Hospitality and an overview of the interviewing process with several clients Gecko Hospitality serves.

To listen to the interview via podcast, please click on player below.

Powered by Podbean.com

The Culinary Rock Show is hosted by Chris Michaels and can be heard on WIFI 1460am in Philadelphia and South Jersey. Please check out their website at http://www.theculinaryrockshow.com for more schedules and times.

You wanted a Culinary Rock Star? Well, you got it! Let us introduce to you the host of our exciting new program, the Culinary Rock show, Chris Michaels.

Chris’ love for food began at the age of 8. As an ambitious young boy living  in Northeast Philadelphia, he began his career in the food business by selling soft pretzels at the local shopping plaza. While standing outside selling pretzels all day, Chris would periodically go into the Italian restaurant close by to purchase soft drinks. It was at that local Italian restaurant that he was able to land a part time job folding pizza boxes and delivering flyers. While working at the restaurant Chris had an opportunity to interact with some of the patrons, one patron was the owner of the local bar close by. Again, Chris was able to persuade the owner into giving him a part time job one day a week cleaning a bar kitchen. So by the age of 10, Chris was holding down three jobs, and still managed to find time to teach himself how to play the “Dukes of Hazzard” theme song on his Mom’s guitar.

Over the next 14 years Chris continued to hold front line jobs in the food business while simultaneously continuing to play music. Recognized by most as an advanced guitar player with above average skills, it was with the bass guitar that Chris experienced most of his success in music. He was able to land a job for one of the busiest and most recognized cover bands of the mid nineties, playing throughout PA and NJ. During his mid twenties, while Chris was enjoying a lot of success playing music, his love and passion for food continued as before. Many exciting opportunities in the Culinary field began to present themselves, and Chris chose to take advantage of them. In doing so, Chris stepped away from actively playing on the local music circuit.

His decision to pursue the opportunities in the food business has proven to be a wise one. Chris went on to continually hold positions of increasing responsibility including Catering Manager; Chef; Executive Chef;  Director of Dining Services; Food & Beverage Director and General Manager. From there, Chris earned a promotion to a Senior Level Food Executive position in charge of the west coast dining operations for a large international upscale senior living corporation. The position was based out of San Francisco, which is one of the most renown culinary areas in the world, and competition was fierce. During his four years in the position Chris grew the region from 14 communities in two states (CA & WA), to 38 communities in four states including North Dakota and Minnesota.

In 2007, Chris returned to the east coast and took a position as a Dining Service Director in a high end senior living community. After slightly more than a year in that role, Chris again was promoted to the senior level position of Executive Director.

In addition to his vast and extensive work experience, Chris is also a graduate of the prestigious California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, California where he earned a degree in Hospitality & Restaurant Management. Chris holds numerous industry certifications, including being recognized by the International Food Service Executives Association in the April 2004 issue of Hotline magazine as one of only 17 food service professionals world wide to have earned the prestigious Master Food Executive Certification.

In addition to hosting the Culinary Rock show, Chris also serves as President of the Philadelphia Dietary Managers Association. Viewed as a recognized authority in the food business, Chris is a highly sought out consultant and speaker on many different food and wine related topics.

When you add up all of Chris’ accomplishments and experiences, combined with his cool California attitude and outlook, you have all the ingredients for a true Culinary Rock Star. There’s little wonder as to why WIFI 1460am was so eager to give him his own show.

Tune in to the Culinary Rock show and you’ll soon find that your not just listening to a radio program, but rather hanging out with friends talking about good food, wine and music.

(Great interview tips recently posted on CareerBuilder)

Five Ways to Turn Off Employers  (Great interview tips recently posted on CareerBuilder)

You’re on your own when it comes to finding true love, but for staying in an employer’s good graces, we’ve got you covered. So put on your best clothes, style your hair and make sure you don’t make one of these job interview gaffes that are certain to turn off an employer:

Turnoff No. 1: Arriving too early for a job interview

The reason: Interviews are scheduled at specific times for a reason. Hiring managers have other meetings and responsibilities to deal with throughout the day, so they can’t interrupt their schedule just to meet with you. Also, interviews often have multiple components. If you’re scheduled to meet the hiring manager first, then have a conversation with some potential colleagues, followed by a tour of the company and finally a drug test, an early (or late) arrival disrupts everyone’s schedule.

The solution: By all means, arriving early is better than arriving late. However, from an interviewer’s perspective, arriving 45 minutes early and letting the receptionist know you’ve arrived is just as bothersome as showing up 45 minutes late. If you get to the interview location too early, go to a nearby coffee shop, take a walk around the block or sit in your car to pass the time. Checking in with the front desk five or even 15 minutes early is acceptable and shows the employer you’re punctual.

Turnoff No. 2: Letting your desperation show to the recruitment manager

The reason: Although you have been looking for a job for several months or even longer, don’t let your frustration become the interviewer’s problem. A negative attitude that causes you to vent about the hardships of being unemployed can leave you reeking of bitterness and repel employers.

The solution: Don’t get us wrong — being unemployed can be one of the worst experiences a person goes through, and anyone who has been there understands that eventually you reach a point where you want to scream. Nevertheless, do your screaming before you get to the interview.

When you’re preparing for the interview, think like an employer. Do you want to hire the person with amazing qualification, a great personality and the potential to grow with the company? Or do you want to hire the person whose primary concern is getting a paycheck, who sounds angry and who might quit the moment a better job comes along? Enthusiasm impresses an employer; desperation does not.

Turnoff No. 3: Being too aggressive with your follow-up

The reason: Employers want to see enthusiasm from job seekers, but they don’t want to be inconvenienced by said enthusiasm. Two e-mails, a handwritten note, a few phone calls and a quick visit to the office just to see how things are going will not impress a hiring manager. That approach will scare them.

The solution: Again, enthusiasm wins over desperation every time. You need to send a thank-you note, and you can send both an e-mail and a postal letter to cover your  bases. Pestering employers doesn’t just make you look desperate, it also annoys them. They don’t have time for so many distractions and eventually the first thing they’ll think of when they see your name is, “Oh, that’s the one who wouldn’t leave me alone.” Prove you have common sense, which includes knowing when to stop.

Turnoff No. 4: Talking trash about anyone

The reason: You probably have plenty to say about your incompetent former boss and inept co-workers, but you know better than to say it. You’ve been told that employers hear you talk negatively about a past boss and think, “One day you’ll be talking that way about me.” You might forget that the same thoughts run through their mind when you talk about other organizations, too. If you’re interviewing with the No. 2 company in a specific industry, you shouldn’t take cheap shots at the No. 1 company every chance you get. Employers know you’re job hunting and that you’ve probably been just as unkind about them in other interviews.

The solution: Stay positive. Explain why you want to work for the company. Point out how your experience has prepared you for this move. You don’t need to pretend that your former employer is a personal hero, but you should demonstrate that you are bringing something from the company other than your 401(k). Rather than belittle the competition, promote this company. Say, “I know your competitor is doing this, and they’ve had some success, but you have the ability to do this and that to beat them.” The focus remains on this company and also on your ideas.

Turnoff No. 5: Lacking direction

The reason: Whether or not they are micromanagers, employers like to have some trust in their employees. If your résumé, cover letter or interview suggests that you have no goals, you are not an attractive candidate. If you don’t even know where you want your career to go, how can you know this job is for you? A cover letter looking for a job instead of this job implies that you’re floating from gig to gig until you get bored.

The solution: If you’re not positive what your future looks like, at least create a narrative that satisfies you. This job might not be your ideal one, but do you see yourself learning from it and putting you on a path to something better? What could you do after you spend some time working here? Figure out what that path is so you can show an employer you know where you’re going. You don’t need to promise that you’ll stay at this position forever, but you can suggest that you are eager to learn and want to move forward. Employers like ambition because these workers tend to care about their jobs and ultimately improve the business in some capacity.

  Facebook

  del.icio.us

  Live Spaces

  Digg It!

  reddit