Harvest Moon Fest Set for Nov. 14

Matt Fenton, Keith Dary, Marcos Seville and Doug Robson.

Alan Zeman, Cory Opold, Billy Sims, Dushyant Singh, Tim Stutz and Rick Boyer.

Pascal Dionot, Justin Warnat, Sean Kavanaugh and Danielle Morris.

Andrew Helmandollar, Frank Caputo and Robert DeSantis.

Robert Clark, Rebecca Tillman, Lee Hillson, Mark Dow, Howard Pierceall, Josh Curtis and Sara Freick.

That's two dozen of Arizona's top chefs, and on Monday, November 14, they're going to be spending their day off working like mad with high school culinary students to present a fabulous, phenomenal feast.

The moon will be full that evening as students work with their chef mentors to present a dazzling array of small savory and sweet plates outdoors at the Desert Foothills Corporate Event Center at Jomax and Scottsdale Roads. 

Tickets are available through online purchase at http://ccapaz.org.

"This is our third Harvest Moon event," says CCAP Arizona director Jill Smith, "and we are very pleased with the enthusiastic response from both culinary teachers and so many outstanding chefs.

"This really gives young culinary students an opportunity to experience working with chefs who are not only outstanding professionals but who are also keenly interested in identifying and working with young culinarians."

Tickets, $150 each, are available through http://ccapaz.org. Mark Tarbell and Beau MacMillan will get the party started around 5:30 p.m., and Alice Cooper's Solid Rocks' 3 Nations and Flavour will rock throughout the evening.

"This is a great way to earn more about CCAP - and why so many smart chefs are working with us this year," says Jill.

Who's who on the professional roster for CCAP Arizona's Harvest Moon Fest

Here's where you can find the pros who are working with dozens of high school culinary students and their teachers to produce this year's CCAP Arizona's Harvest Moon Festival.

Matt Fenton, executive sous chef, Tarbell's.

Keith Dary, executive chef at Forest Highlands Golf Club.

Marcos Seville, executive sous chef for the Omni Scottsdale at Montelucia.

Doug Robson, owner/chef of Otro Café, Phoenix.

Alan Zeman, chef with Rational USA.

Cory Opold, chef for Atlas Bistro.

Billy Sims, managing partner with Nine Degrees North, hospitality group.

Dushyant Singh, executive chef for The Camby.

Tim Stutz, executive chef with Dawn Foods.

Rick Boyer, executive chef for The Phoenician Resort & Spa.

Pascal Dionot, owner/chef instructor with Classic Cooking Academy.

Justin Warnat, executive chef at Grand Canyon National Park's Yavapai Lodge.

Danielle Morris, former owner/chef of Earnest.

Frank Caputo, executive chef, Pebble Creek Country Club.

Robert DeSantis, cerified executive chef, Elite Associates of Arizona.

Rebecca Tillman, executive chef, Pointe Hilton at Squaw Peak.

Lee Hillson, executive sous chef, The Phoenician Resort & Spa.

Mark Dow, culinary arts program director, Scottsdale Community College.

Howard Pierceall, chef with Sysco AZ. 

Josh Curtis, chef/director of culinary, The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Phoenix.

Sara Frick, executive chef with The Refuge Golf & Country Club.

Who's cooking for the Harvest Moon fest?

To date, students and culinary teachers from the schools listed here will be working with around two dozen professional chefs from throughout Arizona to produce CCAP Arizona's annual Harvest Moon fest and dinner.

This year's dinner is set for Monday, November 14, at the Desert Foothills Corporate Event Center at Jomax and Scottsdale Roads in north Scottsdale. Tickets are available through online purchase at http://ccapaz.org.

Apollo High School with culinary teacher Frank Coloma.

Barry Goldwater High School with culinary teacher Ryan Matthies.

Basha High School with culinary teacher Cara Summerfield.

Casa Grande High School with culinary teacher Stephanie Adams.

Chaparral High School with culinary teacher Ashley Holan.

Coolidge High School with culinary teacher Cassandra Yeo.

Flagstaff High School with culinary teacher Patti Pastor.

Glendale High School with culinary teacher Shawn Morris.

Independence High School with culinary teacher Deb Snyder.

Maricopa High School with culinary teacher Greg Mahon.

Mesa High School with culinary teacher Priscilla Yazzie.

Millennium High School with culinary teacher Chris Contreras.

Mountain Institute JTED with culinary teacher Esther Flannigan.

Mountain View High School with culinary teacher Becky Yim.

Paradise Valley High School with culinary teacher Patty Nadzieja.

Pinnacle High School with culinary teacher Preston Thomas.

Rio Rico High School with culinary teacher Patti Schmalzel.

WAVE JTED with culinary teacher Karla Desper.

Additionally, CCAP alumni from throughout the state will be working sith Scottsdale Community College, Classic Cooking Academy, Starshine Academy and the Art Institute of Phoenix.

Culinary Lab 2016 - more fun than you thought

Saturday morning. Early. And around 10 high school seniors from across Arizona are clustering in the Dairy Council's not-really-large test kitchen in Tempe. Ten more students are huddled in the conference room.

In the kitchen, they're testing recipes they've developed in the month since the first lab session. In the conference room, C-CAP Arizona's culinary coordinator, Nicole Swartz, is leading a discussion on cheeses, the making and uses of, along with a primer on nutritional values.

"This year, our students are really working on developing original recipes," she says.  "I can see they're looking to balance creativity with nutrition."

In the second year of Culinary Lab, she, along with the Arizona Dairy Council's director of nutrition, Terri Verason, is happy to see enthusiasm and serious work from the students.

Professional chefs and C-CAP grads Luke Cornelius and Jelani Port are also assisting, working directly with the students in the kitchen and in evaluating recipes.

"It's a good dynamic," Luke says. "It's a really vivid demonstration of how important it is to work together and be part of a team.

"Plus, they're learning about costing out everything that goes into producing a dish, including the food, and prep and presentation time. It's something you have to understand about the work in a professional kitchen."

"We're really focusing on developing a professional approach," Jelani says. "And the students are learning from our experiences, too."

Lab student Alexis Cox, from Flagstaff, agrees. 

"I can't believe how much of a family this is," she says, gesturing around the kitchen. 

"Learning how to work as a whole team is the best thing."