Wisconsin Cooking Schools

THERE WAS a time when Philadelphia was not thought to be hospitable to conventions held by ethnic groups.

So, the confabs went elsewhere, to more-welcoming cities.

That was two decades ago - before the advent of the Philadelphia Multicultural Affairs Congress.

Before an increased profile for Philly as a stop for minority conferences. Before the National Council of La Raza, the NAACP, the National Conference of Black Mayors, the National Association of Black MBAs and the National Association of Latino Elected Officials all paid visits.

Now, thanks in large part to PMAC - which celebrates its 20th year in existence this year - Philly is a national leader in attracting conferences from a range of ethnic organizations.

"We proved that the multicultural market is there, and PMAC had to align itself with the people" who were booking their organizations' events, said Tanya Hall, executive director of PMAC, who has been on staff for more than 10 of those 20 years.

Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Reaches Milestone with 1,100 Graduates Since 2003

In the land of the all-you-can eat-buffet, Las Vegas Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts celebrates 1,100 graduates since the school's opening in 2003.

Las Vegas, NV (Vocus/PRWEB ) August 28, 2007 -- The association of Las Vegas with Le Cordon Bleu, a prestigious culinary arts institute with Parisian roots dating to 1895, may seem odd at first glance. But as the city has evolved into one of the country's top five dining destinations – as named by Bon Appetit in 2006 - its need for highly skilled culinary individuals has exploded. Enter Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts - Las Vegas, which opened its doors in July 2003 in the suburban master-planned community of Summerlin – approximately 12 miles from the Las Vegas Strip. The school, housed in a 60,000-square-foot industry-current facility that features 10 demonstration kitchens, has already graduated more than 1,100 students and boasts a current enrollment of more than 700.

Weekend Beat/Breathing Space: Writer follows nose to cooking school; learns to bake bread

Where was the yummy smell coming from? I followed my nose to a glassed-in cooking school at Tokyo Midtown in the Roppongi area. Behind the glass wall, dozens of women wearing colorful aprons were cooking.

Further investigation revealed it was one of 93 female-only cooking schools operated nationwide by ABC Cooking Studio Co. The outlet at Tokyo Midtown was a bit different from the others--it offers some classes in English.

Learning to cook in English. It sounded like fun. Since free trial lessons were available, I immediately signed up. Three courses were offered: general cooking, bread or cakes. I chose bread. During the lesson, I would be baking cafe-au-lait bread. I'd baked pizza from scratch, but never bread.

As instructed, I showed up for the lesson armed with an apron, a pair of slippers and a small towel.