Feel the Land

As more and more culinary schools pump out future cooks, chefs and arbiters of the trade, it is amazing how many culinarians have never worked on a farm, or for that matter have never been to a farm. Some like Michael Carmel, however, were lucky enough to live on a farm in Eastern Pennsylvania as a young boy where he milked cows by hand, pulled eggs from under the chickens, fed the pigs, and picked genuine farm-raised vegetables from the field and garden, which provide him with great childhood memories. Today, as a chef and culinary instructor, Michael believes that all culinary students and chefs should have the opportunity to spend time on a farm. In this way one can gain a better understanding and respect for what we prepare and cook as a part of our profession as well as our daily lives.

That is why Michael has put his money where his mouth is to change that. With the help of a passionate foodie, writer, and colleague, Marion Sullivan, he has developed a new class at the Culinary Institute of Charleston called, "Farm to Plate."

The class is unique in that he and the students get to work with some unbelievable products, cook with some of the best, most passionate chefs in the country, and experience a part of the living history of South Carolina. It is a pleasure to work side by side with chefs that share the same beliefs about food and the land because they approach every ingredient with reverence and respect, which translates into food that is served with integrity and the highest standards. There is also no better way for a student to appreciate and emulate a chef than to work with that chef on the land and cook food that is impeccable.

It translates to an education that money can’t buy, no lecture can explain, and no school can improve upon. It is perfect! To see food grown or raised with the ultimate goal that it be consumed at its peak of flavor gives a young culinary student respect for the very art of cooking. To work in that field or with that animal changes the way we approach every item we cook. I wish every culinary student could experience it.

If you have a similar story or class you want to share with our learning community, or questions on the class, please contact Michael Carmel Mcarmel@fooded.org