Culinary Education Loses Chef Antun

John Antun, associate professor in the Department of Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences and director of UT’s Culinary Institute, died last Monday after a six-month battle with pancreatic cancer.  I am sorry for not posting this sooner to the blog.  Chef Antun was a GREAT teacher and human being.  He was there from the start to help launch FELC and was present at the last Summit although he was suffering greatly from his cancer.  He hung in there up to the end doing what he loved best -- teaching. 

Chef Antun was also responsible for starting the Journal of Culinary Science and Technology which is widely read by teachers and researchers in academia and industry alike.  The ecclectic journal always has something of interest for everyone to read and the brainchild of Chef Antun.  We will great miss him in the future but his spirit will live on in the years ahead as we keep his memory alive by being the best teachers and researchers we can be in culinary arts and science education.

To read more about Chef Antun visit:
http://www.utk.edu/tntoday/2011/07/14/memoriam-john-antun/
http://hosting-24617.tributes.com/show/John-Antun-91905077

For those who may have known Chef Antun, part of his obituary states:
“The family is requesting donations be made to the John Antun Scholarship Fund, c/o RHT Dept., 110 Jessie Harris Bld., University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-1911”



Rest easy, big John.  We will truly miss you as you have been an inspiration to so many.  We just hope will be able to return the favor.