A-B Tech Graduate Reaches Pinnacle of Culinary Industry
A-B Tech Culinary Graduate Lawrence McFadden speaks to current Culinary and Baking and Pastry Arts students about his experience as vice president of culinary and corporate chef for Ritz-Carlton.
When 18-year-old Lawrence McFadden applied for a job as a dishwasher at an Asheville hotel in 1982, he never imagined he would be regarded as one of the top chefs in the country one day. Then again, he never imagined he would attend A-B Tech, either.
McFadden moved to Asheville after graduating from Sylva-Webster High School. Searching for a job, he interviewed with Ramada Inn Chef Ron Blackburg, who graduated from A-B Tech's culinary program a year or two before, and who offered McFadden a position as a dishwasher at the hotel on one condition that he enroll in the culinary program, too. Anxious to go to work, McFadden agreed only to discover he was Applicant No. 24 in a program that accepted only 20. Fortunately, destiny intervened, and four of the people ahead of him failed to show up on registration day.
Looking back, McFadden recalls with a laugh that he stayed with the college longer than he stayed with the dishwashing job. Had he not met Blackburg and come to A-B Tech, he says he probably would have joined the military. Instead, he graduated with a degree in culinary technology in 1984 and followed the advice of then-Department Chair Robert Werth, who suggested he do an internship at The Greenbrier, the award-winning resort in White Sulphur Springs, WV.
There began an illustrious career that has seen him:
- Become the youngest chef ever to take over as supervisor of the apprenticeship program at The Greenbrier.
- Land positions as executive chef or sous chef with some of biggest names in the hospitality industry, including The Waldorf-Astoria in New York and the Hotel Inter-Continental and Forum in Chicago.
- Win six gold medals as a member of the U.S. team in two Culinary Olympics. The five team members represent all 20,000 American Culinary Federation members, and only 70 chefs have been awarded the honor since 1952.
- Be named by the Chicago Tribune as one of that city's rising new chefs in 1990, described as "one of 15 chefs worth watching" in Restaurants and Institutions magazine in 2003, chosen for the Who's Who of Corporate American Culinary Leadership for 2004, and recognized as one of his industry's "Movers and Shapers" in a Restaurants & Institutions article in 2004.
- Serve as host executive chef at the famed James Beard House on two separate occasions.
- Earn the prestigious title of Certified Master Chef from the American Culinary Federation, making him only the 58th person in the country to achieve the designation after passing a grueling 10-day examination.
- Receive an honorary Doctor of Culinary Arts degree from Johnson & Wales University, joining the likes of such famous chefs as Julia Child, Emeril Lagasse, Paul Prudhomme, and Wolfgang Puck.
- Make a meteoric rise through The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company from executive chef at the company's Amelia Island, FL, hotel, to executive chef of its Naples, FL, property to his current position as the vice president of culinary and corporate chef, responsible for the direction and development of the culinary programs and chefs for the entire company. One of the nation's most well-known hotel chains, with a reputation for creative cuisine, the Ritz-Carlton owns 58 properties worldwide. McFadden oversaw nine restaurants as executive chef of the company's hotel in Naples, and was instrumental in obtaining the prestigious AAA Five Diamond rating for The Dining Room, one of only four restaurants in Florida to receive the distinction.
As vice president of culinary and corporate chef for the company, he develops the overall vision of food and beverage, directing and mentoring chefs who, themselves, are among the top one percent in the country. He also serves as the opening corporate chef for new Ritz-Carlton properties throughout the world, heading a 12- to 15-member team that runs the culinary operation for about two weeks before turning it over to a resident chef and food and beverage director.
McFadden said the hardest part of becoming vice president was giving up the chef's jacket after 22 years. "That jacket is the most comfortable, protective garment. It's like Teflon," he said. "It means something. I took the job to learn more and to challenge myself."
Despite the demanding schedule he keeps, McFadden believes it's important to make time to participate in public service activities, particularly those that involve children and students. He serves as a judge of culinary competitions at The Greenbrier every year, and participated in a mentoring and culinary forum for students at the 2005 American Culinary Federation National Convention. He also has been instrumental in the development of "Healthy Taste" Kids menus for the Ritz-Carlton to help address the epidemic of childhood obesity. In 1993, he was a member of the USA team that participated in the World Cooks Tour for Hunger, cooking in Soweto, South Africa, for two weeks.
Always quick to volunteer to mentor student chefs from A-B Tech, he offered pointers to a young man who was preparing to participate in the college's first international competition several years ago and arranged internships for students at the Ritz-Carltons in Amelia Island and Naples, when he was executive chef there. He also has judged senior final exams, spoken at college awards ceremonies, and cheered students on at American Culinary Federation competitions.
McFadden says he believes in giving back to the institution that gave so much to him. "There was a lot of discipline in the program, in the standards, that I continually go back to. When I see students that aren't wearing their uniforms with pride, that aren't clean cut, that are trying to be individuals rather than team oriented, none of that took place with A-B Tech. Š Whether it be the instructor in sociology, psychology, culinary or hospitality, I never ran across anyone who wasn't a professional. It's why the program is as successful as it is. And that's why I've gone back and assisted whenever I'm asked, wherever my career is or my travels have taken me. Because at the end of the day, I owe them my career."
Stakeholders Meet to Discuss Water Heater Prototype
Frank Miceli, Electronic Engineering Technolgoy Chair, explains the water heater dehumidifier protoype to Asheville Citizen-Times reporter Joshua Boatwright.
Officials from the U.S. Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory joined representatives of A-B Tech, Western Carolina University and several manufacturing and utility interests March 22 for an update on a federally-funded effort to develop a new type of energy-efficient water heater.
The effort attracted the attention of President George W. Bush, who called the project an example of the "creative technologies" the nation must utilize to decrease its dependence on foreign energy sources.
"The state called the meeting for the water-heating appliance that was under contract with Oak Ridge Lab," said Frank Miceli, Electronic Engineering Technology chair.
Faculty and students from Western and A-B Tech have developed prototypes of a new control system that combines elements of a home dehumidifier and water heater to achieve greater product reliability, flexibility of use and energy savings.
"About a year and a half ago, there was a contract to Western to develop this appliance and a feasibility model. WCU teamed up with A-B Tech and we have completed the task," Miceli said. "Now on to the next phase and its production. We're ready to start our marketing work and start producing."
The water heater, which will cost somewhere between $500 and $600, would be manufactured by Sci-Cool Technologies. "People buy it to save money, it's a better appliance like a washing machine or a dishwasher," Miceli said. Savings are estimated at $200 a year, about half of the typical electric water heater expense.
Early College Students Explore "The Perfect Crime"
David Zabriskie, left, gestures as he explains his motivation in the perfect crime. Jonah Weaver was his partner in the project.
Early College students presented projects from the wrong side of the law in their Criminal Justice Criminalistics course in February.
"The Perfect Crime" featured presentations the students made in an attempt to create an unsolvable crime. Chris Fay, assistant director of the Law Enforcement Academy at A-B Tech, is the instructor of the course. The purpose of the project was to apply the ability to look at crime scenes from 180 degrees.
"We've been talking about all things investigative and how crimes are laid out," he said. "All of them are potentially solvable, and there is no such thing as a perfect crime. The more the students worked at it, the more they realized how hard it was to pull off the perfect crime. The have put together some really creative ideas."
Students presented their findings through PowerPoint, short story and Reader's Theater.
David Zabriskie and Jonah Weaver presented a jewel heist with a large amount of planning in what they would wear and how they would dispose of evidence. They suggested wearing shoes too large for their feet so footprints wouldn't match, and wearing latex and leather gloves with a rubber bathing cap and wet suit to prevent hair from straying and leaving DNA evidence. However, their classmates poked holes in their theory because their wild get-ups would make them very noticeable.
"I love this," said Fay. "They have come up with such creative ideas. It's a college class and I treat them like that, but they're kids. I believe they value education more. They don't need the distractions of a high school campus. I love being able to take time to work on this project."
Sarah Dunbar and Lauren Bonura used a story to tell about their perfect crime of revenge for unreturned money using incredible detail. They used the Internet to research assassins for hire.
Early College allows current ninth-graders to earn a high school diploma and an associate's degree in five years. Students take Huskins classes, which provide high school and college credit during the ninth and 10th grades. During the 11th and 12th grades, the students will be mixed in classrooms with A-B Tech students, earning high school and college credit through dual enrollment. Classes are taught by instructors from A-B Tech and the Buncombe County School System.