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Master chef wows guests

Five-course dinner benefits culinary collaboration

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By Ed Richter, Staff Writer 12:58 AM Sunday, September 20, 2009

MIDDLETOWN — It was a culinary night to remember for 76 guests who attended a dinner prepared by one of the region’s top master chefs.

French Master Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel and a team of five culinary students from the Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinati State Technical and Community College prepared a five-course dinner complete with wines at the Manchester Inn and Conference Center on Saturday, Sept. 19.

The dinner was a benefit to raise scholarship funds for the culinary students as well as a new collaboration between Cincinnati State and Miami University Middletown.

De Cavel came to southwest Ohio in 1993 to cook at the former Maisonette restaurant, which earned eight Mobil five-star ratings during his tenure.

Guests arrived at the Manchester to the sounds of a string trio from Miami University’s School of Fine Arts and to the sight of a large ice sculpture depicting the partnership of MUM and Cincinnati Tech.

In a nearby meeting room, de Cavel was working with his team, preparing appetizers and plating the rest of the meal that featured a lobster salad, a halibut dish and rack of lamb.

“It’s always interesting not being in your element,” de Cavel said. “I enjoy being at the Manchester. This hotel is old but very cool.”

He said it would be very nice to have a culinary school in Middletown.

De Cavel, who has been cooking since he was 16 and who went to culinary school in France, said he and the students have prepared special meals such as this in the past.

“It’s always challenging, but always fun to be somewhere,” de Cavel said.

The dinner’s main course of rack of lamb was served just after 9 p.m.

Before that, guest Jackie Hunter said that the flavors of the food and wines thus far had been incredible.

“You cannot describe the flavors,” she said. “It’s so good. I’ve never had anything like this before.”

Another guest, Linda Moorman, said, “the food was wonderful.”

Moorman said the wine pairing for each course was also wonderful. “The flavor of the wines went well with the food.”

She said it was “exciting” that the two schools are combining forces to create a possible culinary school in Middletown.

In the meeting room where de Cavel was working, he described the night as just “a lot of fun.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 594-5546 erichter@coxohio.com.

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