Student's careers get cooking
 - By DEBORAH
ALLARD-BERNARDI Herald News Staff Reporter
FALL RIVER - As steam rises from a frying pan of seared scallops
and the scent of fresh herbed vegetables wafts over the stainless steel
kitchen, the culinary task of preparing lunch for Abbey Grill patrons is well
under way.
International
Institute of Culinary Arts students in clean, white chef's garb, barely look up
from their slicing and dicing, so intent are they on the meal at hand. Others
swish by a tall rack of delectably designed pastries, carrying pots and
utensils on their way to waiting ovens.
Instructors observe every move and detail, occasionally taking hold
of a butcher's knife and demonstrating the correct procedures or measurements.
The well-orchestrated
movements of the kitchen have been a daily ritual since the hybrid school and
its restaurant became a fine dining establishment in 1997 at the site of a
local institution, the former First Congregational Church on Rock Street.
Here at the church
turned classroom, restaurant and function hall, students are groomed to become
chefs in fine establishments or to go on and open their own restaurants.
Besides learning to
create exotic and appealing menus and meals for presentation, students must
also learn to think about what paying customers will think of their meals.
"This is what is unique with the school," said master chef George Karousos.
The school and its
restaurant to culinary students, is a rigorous program of more than 20 courses
per year for one or two years depending on their chosen curriculum. They can
study for a one-year culinary arts certificate, a two-year baking diploma, or a
two-year grande diploma in culinary arts.
For diners, the Abbey Grill and Great Hall is a unique experience
combining an eclectic menu and surroundings.
"The success of the Abbey is the success of the school," Karousos
said. "The food has to be good and quick."
It's this mix that's made the Abbey Grill a well-known establishment
and it's also what brings diners back again and again. But, Karousos said the
beauty - or rather the flavor - of the program is its concoction of
courses.
"We prepare the
student to adopt any situation," Karousos. "You can build up anything you like
to do,"
The curriculum is
prepared so that each student's knowledge transcends the kitchen. Besides
learning to cook and bake, these chefs in training become skilled in marketing,
human resources, menu planning, restaurant accounting, dining room management
and hospitality.
"Today, the dream for
every chef is to open his own restaurant," Karousos said. "They learn exactly
how a restaurant is run."
Karousos,
who has been a restaurateur for 23 years, is the owner of the Sea Fare Inn in
Portsmouth, R.I., Sea Fare's American Cafe in Newport, R.I., and more recently
the Abbey Grille and Georgio's Steak House in Fall River, and also OceAnna in
New Bedford, named for the chefs late wife, Anna. Karousos also worked
previously as an executive chef, and as a New York food editor and columnist,
making him the perfect candidate to bring real-life experiences to aspiring
chefs.
"What we learn, we
teach the next generation to have a better life," Karousos said. "Our mission
has never chanced."
For
Karousos, owning a cooking school -- and a successful one - is the realization
of a lifelong dream. It was also a dream of his late wife, Anna, who had a vast
background in the hospitality industry. Anna, who died in 2000, was described
as the "matriarch" of the Karousos family.
Two of their three grown children are also involved in the cooking
and hospitality fields. Karousos' daughter, Kathy Gillet, is the Abbey Grill
restaurant manager; and son, Ted Karousos, can be seen on "Boating Today" on
cable television, where he does a segment on galley cooking.
Karousos is a force
in his kitchen and school, lecturing his students in the restaurant and its
classrooms in the accent of his native Nisyros-Dodecannisa, Greece. Karousos
devises menu plans that make the mouth water in anticipation.
The Abbey Grill works
on a rotating menu schedule that changes about every three weeks. A treat to
frequent diners, the changing menu also gives the students ample cooking
experience in both American and international cuisine, as well as local
edibles.
"We have original New
England cuisine," Karousos pointed out - like Maine lobster, New England clam
chowder, apple and pumpkin pie and more.
The training chefs
also learn about classic and modern French cuisine, foods of Asia and the
Orient, as well as dishes of the Netherlands, Belgium, Balkans, Russia, Middle
East, Scandinavia, British Isles and others.
Karousos also believes in helping the local economy by purchasing
cooking ingredients from area vendors, and in simply making the city of Fall
River a better place by offering the kind of upscale dining experience that
residents crave.
"This is what we have
to remember," Karousos said. "We help the area and local economy and make Fall
River a better place." Deborah Allard-Bernardi may be reached at
dbernardi@heraldnews.com.
– Originally
Published in the Fall River Herald News, April 30, 2003 |
