Hotel Online  Special Report
.

advertisement


..
The American Culinary Federation Grants Jason Koppinger, Executive Chef
of the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort, Two Professional Designations: 
Certified Executive Chef and Certified Culinary Educator
.

Kona, Hawaii - April 21, 2006 - The American Culinary Federation (ACF) has granted Jason Koppinger, executive chef of the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort, two of the country's most prestigious professional designations: Certified Executive Chef and Certified Culinary Educator. 

In earning these designations, Koppinger has joined an elite group of chefs in America who have undergone a rigorous examination process to earn their professional ACF certifications. Approximately 15% of executive chefs in the country have received the Certified Executive Chef designation from the ACF.
 

"I've wanted to do this as a chef for about five years now," Koppinger said. "I'm thrilled to have gotten these certifications, and am looking forward to continuing my work at Outrigger Keauhou Beach as well as teaching other up-and-coming chefs."

To earn his designations, Koppinger was required to have a minimum of five years experience as an executive chef and to undergo a four-day written and practical examination. Candidates must have completed coursework in food safety, nutrition and supervisory management, and must engage in continued professional development in order to maintain their certification.

Formerly executive chef with Royal Caribbean Cruises, Koppinger joined the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort in 2005 with more than eight years of experience in culinary arts and management in the U.S. and abroad. He is a graduate of not one, but three culinary schools: The Culinary Institute of America, The French Culinary Institute, and the Disney Institute in Orlando, Florida. He has made television appearances and received several awards including top honors in competitions sponsored by the Caribbean Culinary Association and Universal Studios in Florida.

Born in New York and raised in Trinidad, Koppinger has aspired to become a professional chef since he was a child. His cuisine is influenced by his multicultural upbringing: his mother and father were from the West Indies and New York, respectively. Much of his background is in French culinary techniques, which he blended with flavors of the Caribbean. He is thought to be one of the youngest executive chefs to become an ACF Certified Executive Chef.

Established in 1929, the ACF is the largest and most prestigious organization of professional chefs and cooks. Its comprehensive certification program, currently offering 13 designations, is designed to improve the quality of professional competency throughout the foodservice industry.

Koppinger is responsible for two restaurants and a lounge at the 309-room hotel, in addition to a variety of private functions including business meetings, reunions and weddings.

The Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort fronts the ocean in Kailua-Kona and offers two restaurants, a lounge, and private function and banquet facilities for meetings, reunions and weddings. The Kama`aina Terrace is an open-air restaurant with panoramic vistas of the sunset and Kona coastline. Open daily for breakfast and dinner, and serving Pacific Rim cuisine, Kama`aina Terrace features three themed culinary specials: the Prime Rib and Seafood Buffet on Friday evenings, Saturday Lobster Night, and Sunday Brunch.

The Kalanikai Bar & Grill is a pavilion-style dining area located literally a few steps from the adjacent Kahaluu Beach Park and overlooking large natural tidepools. The ultra-casual eatery serves sandwiches, fresh salads, "plate lunch" specials (a local culinary tradition in Hawaii) and tropical drinks, and is open for lunch and cocktails daily.

The Verandah Lounge seems to hang above the ocean tidepools bordering the hotel grounds, and is an ideal spot for cocktails, appetizers, live entertainment nightly, and sightings of endangered wild Hawaiian green sea turtles.

Outrigger Hotels & Resorts is a family-owned and operated company deeply committed to providing authentic island hospitality in premiere destinations throughout the Pacific. 

.
Contact:

 MaryLou Foley
Outrigger Beachfront Division
808-924-6040
[email protected]

 

.
Also See: Big Island's Keauhou Beach Resort Re-branded an Outrigger; Property Enhancements Completed or Under Way / April 2005
Gregg Enright Named General Manager of the OHANA Keauhou Beach Resort on Hawaii's Big Island / March 2004

.


To search Hotel Online data base of News and Trends Go to Hotel.Online Search

Home | Welcome! | Hospitality News | Classifieds | Catalogs & Pricing | Viewpoint Forum | Ideas/Trends
Please contact Hotel.Online with your comments and suggestions.