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University; His Effect on Hospitality Education Spans Decades |
East
Lansing, Michigan, September 17, 2003 � The School of Hospitality Business
at Michigan State University announces the retirement of Chef Robert H.
Nelson, CEC, CCE, CFBE, AAC, the founding Dr. Lewis J. and Ruth E. Minor
Chef de Cuisine in Hospitality Business, effective July 1, 2004.
Since 1982, Chef Nelson built and personified the culinary aspect of the students� education, giving them experiences and training which are unmatched anywhere. He was a caring teacher, wise advisor, untiring and creative in all his efforts. His effect on hospitality education spans decades and institutions. Chef Nelson leaves a broad and impressive legacy. Often bringing in the industry�s leading chefs in the Visiting Distinguished Chefs Series to take part in the students� education, he helped students, many of whose only qualifications were enthusiasm and a strong work ethic, conceive, prepare and present world-class dinners and programs on almost a weekly basis for their HRI 435, then HB 485 class. The themes for these dinners ranged from a �beach party� for local assisted living residents to an elegant tribute to members of MSU�s Board of Trustees; from a chili cook-off (whose salsa recipe took first place!) to a $250 per person fundraising dinner for the College of Arts and Letters Endowment; from annual Homecoming tailgate parties to the annual Patriarchs Breakfasts; and from Eta Sigma Delta�s annual dinner and induction ceremony to a special dinner of Michigan cuisine for Chef and Owner Andre' Soltner from Lutece, in New York City. Chef Nelson will be remembered for many contributions in the Lansing area, as well as nationally and internationally, but he is perhaps best known for serving as advisor to the students� annual Les Gourmets dinner, believed by some to be the finest dining experience available in the region. He is also the founding officer of the Capitol Professional Chefs and Cooks Association in Lansing, and throughout the year serves in many ways across the campus, coordinating a variety of receptions and special events, including one for the visiting American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business Accreditation Team, and has taught for many years in MSU�s Evening College program and for Lansing Community College. He previously served as training chef for MSU�s Division of Housing & Food Services and taught at Purdue University, the University of Illinois, and Northwood Institute. However, Chef Nelson�s reputation extends even farther. He has
been named Educator of the Year by the American Culinary Federation�s Educational
Institute and has been recognized as the Federation�s U.S. Regional Chef
of the Year in 1994. In 1999, Chef Nelson was inducted into the American
Academy of Chefs Hall of Fame. He has won gold, silver and bronze
medals in numerous culinary competitions, and around the state of Michigan,
Chef Nelson is known as the Michigan Gourmet for his weekly public television
program. The following listing of selected awards and honors earned
by Chef Nelson sheds light on his widespread influence:
Perhaps Chef Nelson�s most lasting legacy, though, will be the students he inspired and taught, counseled and encouraged. Many have gone on to successful careers in the hospitality industry and point to his influence as their guiding light. The School salutes its remarkable Chef de Cuisine, thanks him for his many years of selfless service, and wishes him all the best in his retirement. A national search will begin for his successor, though it is widely recognized that Chef Nelson�s retirement will leave a void in the culinary program in The School of Hospitality Business. �Chef Nelson is one-of-a-kind,� says Dr. Ronald F. Cichy, director and professor in The School. �While we begin the search for his successor, we can only hope to try to carry on what he has so successfully started here.� About The School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University
About Dr. Lewis J. and Ruth E. Minor Chef de Cuisine in Hospitality
Business
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Contact:
The School of Hospitality Business
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