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March 6, 2003

Graham Kerr to be guest chef, speaker at gourmet dinner on campus

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Graham Kerr, television chef and healthy eating expert, will be the guest chef April 5 at Purdue University's fifth annual Boilermaker Black Tie Dinner.

Graham Kerr

The reception is at 6 p.m. in the South Ballroom of the Purdue Memorial Union, and dinner begins at 7 p.m. Both events are open to the public.

The event is organized by the Society of Hosteurs, a student group made up of hospitality and tourism management (HTM) majors in the School of Consumer and Family Sciences. Kerr also will be the event's keynote speaker.

"We'll be using Kerr's FABIS (fresh and best in season) concept in preparing the meal," said Joseph Mikol, the event marketing director and a senior HTM major. "Our venue is three times larger than in the past, so we're looking for a breakout year for the 2003 Black Tie Dinner."

While the students will be working for Kerr, they will be in charge of all aspects of the meal – from decorations to wine selection to ordering, preparing and serving the food, said Anthony Cawdron, an HTM instructor and adviser to the event.

"This is our HTM majors' opportunity to show the full range of their ideas, classes and internships by putting on a gourmet meal," Cawdron said. "This is the pièce de résistance of their college careers."

Kerr, born in London and relocated to Canada, burst onto the cooking scene in 1969 as the Galloping Gourmet, practicing "hedonism in a hurry," with dishes rich in cream, butter, eggs, cholesterol and high fat. Kerr, a pioneering television cooking star, also garnished his recipes liberally with wit.

After Kerr's wife and Galloping Gourmet producer, Treena, had a heart attack in 1986, Kerr changed his cooking ways and turned to healthy and tasty cuisine. He dubbed his new approach to food and nutrition Minimax – food that minimized health risks while maximizing flavor, presentation and aroma.

Kerr has gone on to a number of other television cooking shows and has written several best-selling cookbooks.

Ticket prices are $150 per person or $1,500 for a 10-person table sponsorship. Formal black-tie attire is "optional but preferred," according to the promotional material.

Tickets for the 2003 Boilermaker Black Tie Dinner are available by contacting Nona Schaler, conference coordinator, at (765) 494-2756 or (800) 359-2968, njschaler@purdue.edu. The reservation deadline is March 17.

Writer: Mike Lillich, (765) 494-2077, mlillich@purdue.edu

Sources: Joseph Mikol, (765) 532-3837, mikolj@purdue.edu

Andrew Cawdron, (765) 496-7805, apcawdron@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Related Web site:
Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management


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