Culinary Graduate Caters to President Bush and International Dignitaries at G-8 Summit
Tim Thomas, a 1988 culinary graduate, was the chef in charge of all meals involving President George W. Bush during the recent G-8 Summit.
As executive chef at the private Ocean Forest Golf Club on Sea Island, Georgia, culinary graduate Tim Thomas is used to dealing with high-profile clientele, but his clients took an even more dignified air when the recent G-8 Summit was held on the resort island.
During the summit, which brings together the leaders of the world's major industrial democracies – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – Thomas was responsible for heading up the group in charge of all the meals involving President George W. Bush.
The Sea Island Company knew about a year in advance that it was hosting the summit, and Thomas was chosen by Todd Rogers, executive chef of Sea Island's Cloister Hotel and the summit's chief culinary director, to head the Presidential party.
"It was a tremendous privilege to be afforded such an opportunity," said Thomas, who graduated from A-B Tech in 1988. "And, to be honest, it was really pretty cool."
It was also a lot of work.
About a month before the summit, Thomas began developing the menu, which he kept "indigenous" by focusing on Southern cuisine and fresh seafood, and started working on the function and preparation sheets.
"You just had to plan, plan, plan, because everything had to be exact," said Thomas. "You couldn't just run up to another kitchen if something went wrong. For security reasons, that kind of sudden movement just wasn't allowed. You really couldn't get into too much of a normal routine."
Adding to the breakup of the normal routine was the constant presence in the kitchen of two FDA agents. One, a microbiologist, was collecting food samples and sending them to Atlanta to keep on hand as a record of what had been consumed in case anyone happened to become sick. The other agent was making certain foods were cooked to the proper temperature or not exposed to airborne bacteria.
"They were there strictly for food safety," said Thomas. "And I made sure that a line of communication between us stayed open."
While the dignitaries may have been the main focus, there were also numerous additional people who needed to be fed.
"If the main dining area was filled with 16 dignitaries, there was probably a group of 300 additional support people – advisors, translators, secret service agents – eating at the same time in another dining room," mentioned Thomas, who worked with a staff of six to keep everyone pleased.
"It wasn't all me or all chef Todd," said Thomas, who has been with the Sea Island Company for the past six years. "It was all of us together. We planned our work and worked our plan."
The original plan didn't include hobnobbing with the world's top political leaders, but that's what happened to Thomas and several other employees.
"I got to meet about half of them," said Thomas, noting that he shook hands with President Bush, Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United Kingdom and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. "We were standing off at a distance, but President Bush came over to us to shake hands and take some pictures. It was a really great moment for them to come over like that and express their appreciation."
Prime Minister Berlusconi was especially appreciative of Thomas' efforts.
"It's really ironic, considering he is from Italy, but (Berlusconi) is allergic to onions and garlic," Thomas said. "So every meal we made included one portion that didn't include either one of those ingredients."
The full extent of what had occurred over the course of the summit didn't truly sink in until the entire event was over and Thomas was talking to his wife while driving home.
"I was totally fatigued mentally, emotionally and physically," stated Thomas, who stayed on the resort property during the duration of the summit. "I just suddenly realized how overwhelming the whole situation had been, and it was like, 'Wow! I just fed the Heads of State of the most powerful countries in the world!'
"I'll never be able to top that – Not that I'd actually want to go through that whole process again," he said with a laugh.
WNC State Biotechnology Office Opens on Enka Campus
Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue speaks at the June 14 opening of the Western Carolina Office, North Carolina Biotechnology Center.
A-B Tech's biotechnology initiative received a major boost last month with the announcement of a $320,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation and the opening of the western office of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center on the Enka Campus.
Approved by the Golden LEAF board June 3, the grant is part of a $4.3 million package of 29 awards presented to community colleges in North Carolina to foster the state's growing biotech industry through a BioNetwork that will develop and share expertise, curricula and specialized training among community colleges statewide.
"The Golden LEAF support for BioNetwork has been critical to the development of a comprehensive program to train and retrain the workforce of North Carolina for its biotech future," NCCCS President Martin Lancaster said following the announcement.
A-B Tech will use its funds to create a Biotech Enterprise Catalyst Business Incubation and Related BioLinked Industries Functional Center. Dubbed the "BioBiz Center," the facility will be comprised of three components: incubation of biotech startups, education and training programs, and a core equipment/research laboratory.
Sooja Lee, who runs a DNA lab in the Enka Campus Biotechnology Incubator, talks with (from left) K. Ray Bailey, A-B Tech President; Charles G. Moreland, WNC Liaison for the NC Biotechnology Center and H. Martin Lancaster, President of the NC Community College System.
Less than two weeks after the announcement of the grant, members of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBC) and community leaders gathered at the Enka Campus to formally open NCBC's Western North Carolina office. Headed by Dr. Charles Moreland, retired vice chancellor for research at N.C. State University and vice chairman of the Biotechnology Center's Board of Directors, the satellite office will work with regional partners to develop biotech research, business and education in WNC.
Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue told about 100 people gathered for the ceremony that the biotech industry is growing about 10 percent a year and has the potential to become the new "economic engine" for North Carolina. Pointing to the vision of leaders who helped the country recover from the Great Depression, Perdue said "the same forward-looking mindset exists today" among those involved in biotechnology.
Joining Perdue in marking the event were A-B Tech President K. Ray Bailey, NCBC President and CEO Dr. Leslie Alexandre, NCBC Senior Vice President Steven Burke, NCCCS President Lancaster, state Revenue Secretary Norris Tolson, Dr. Charles Moreland, and Jack Cecil, president of Biltmore Farms and chair of the Advisory Committee for Biotechnology in Western North Carolina.
GED, Adult High School Graduation Ceremony
Held June 17
Diane Parrish, who earned her GED more than 30 years after leaving high school, was a participant and featured speaker during the June 17 graduation for students who completed either the GED or Adult High School program.
A-B Tech held a GED and Adult High School graduation ceremony June 17 to recognize students who completed either program within the past year. Nearly 350 students successfully completed the courses within that time frame, and about 80 of them participated in the ceremony that was held in Ferguson Auditorium.
Among those graduating, and one of the students selected to speak during the ceremony, was Diane Parrish, a 48-year-old mother of three who earned her GED more than 30 years after leaving high school. Parrish, who lives in Arden, started the GED program in 2001 after being laid off from a factory job she held for 28 years.
When she realized that she was at a disadvantage in finding work because she never completed high school, she started taking GED preparation and Basic Skills classes at A-B Tech.
"I knew that in order to get another job, I'd have to have a diploma, which I didn't have, or get a GED," Parrish said. "And I have to be honest. At first, I was ashamed, because of my age and being in there with those younger kids. But then those feelings passed, and I received tremendous support. The encouragement I got was great. People were right there for me."
It may have taken Parrish a few years, and even a few tears, to earn her GED, but she is more than happy to have finally accomplished her goal."I have a sense of achievement and accomplishment," said Parrish. "This was a real hard task for me, there were times when I actually cried, but it was well worth it. Losing that job made me realize that you have to move with things and keep up with the times – and I wasn't doing that.
"If I hadn't gone back and done this, the opportunities would not be there for me," she stated. "I just have a really good feeling about it."
Curriculum Expo 2004
Melissa Hyatt (far right), Chair of the Medical Laboratory Technology program, addresses a group of high school teachers during Curriculum Expo 2004. As part of a hands-on tour of the Division of Allied Health and Public Service, Hyatt took her group into a classroom where students were working on blood typing.
Forty-seven teachers from three school systems - Asheville City, Buncombe County and Madison County - attended the expo, which was held on campus June 8-10.