Chef Werner Vogeli Apprentice Dinner 2018

 My 1st of many prominent Dallas accounts as the Caffeine Cowboy was the City Club. Chef Werner became a mentor and a friend.  I would tell people,"My coffee was the closest to heaven in Dallas!"

Chef shared a personal memory of coffee of his post war youth with me.  jb

  "I began my apprenticeship at Gruner Heinrich (named after the book written by Gotfried Kellar). It is located on the Belview Platz in Zurich. 

  This is a major circle much like the Arc de Triomphe area of Paris. The first thing one sees is the racks of every available publication. Patrons came daily and would checkout their choice of news or cultural information much like in a library."

  It was an alcohol-free restaurant serving excellent cuisine. Pastries and desserts were very popular there and coffee was definitely the common denominator. The afternoons were wonderful times when it was very popular among the ladies to meet for light pastries and coffee talk. 

  Coffee was served by the portion.  A silver service providing two portions of coffee were served with one demitasse (a three ounce cup). One could not request a refill but rather ordered another portion. The cost was twice that of the finest beers, but that was not a hindrance, one expected to pay for such a fine indulgence.

  At home, we were told as children that coffee would stunt our growth. I am amused now to remember this and realize that this was a way to reduce our desire to also share in the coffee.  Burnt sugars, roasted acorns, fruits, and nuts were often used to brew something to serve in our cups.  Coffee was and still is a mysterious treasure to me.

for tickets:https://www.foundation.dcccd.edu/vogeli-dinner

Chef Werner and son Chris

Chef Werner Vogeli: International Judge EWMCS and dedicated chef instructor at Art Institute of Dallas and El Centro. Legendary Chef of the City Club Dallas atop the Green Dallas Skyline Icon.

Founding father of the Texas Chefs Association, Past President and Chairman. 

His son Chris Vogeli is the Chef/Proprietor of III Forks and was Captain of the Champion Team USA for the Epicurean World Master Chefs Banquet Competition.

His ready acceptance of those entering the business of Food and Hospitality will forever influence the Dallas culture.

Chef was a driving force behind the creation of El Centro College's chef apprentice program that now has graduates in charge of kitchens around the world. The Swiss-born chef helped raise culinary education in Dallas to an international level. 

"He was instrumental and perhaps the major factor in creating the chef apprentice program at El Centro College," said Gus Katsigris, director emeritus of the school's Food and Hospitality Services Program. "We adopted the European system in Dallas. At one point, we had one of the largest apprentice programs in the nation." 

Mr. Vogeli also taught basic cooking classes at El Centro and more recently at The Art Institute of Dallas. "The class he had the most passion to teach was the basics ... the new kids coming in off the street never having held a knife in their hand," said his son Chris Vogeli of Frisco, proprietor of the III Forks restaurant in Dallas. "He tried to mold them into something special, where they had a drive to learn more about food service." 

Chef trained for five years as an apprentice and in a trade school in his home town of Zurich graduating in 1952. From there, he travelled the world but settled in to DFW.

He had been a member of the Texas Chefs Association since 1964 and served four years as the group's president.

Sunday January 28, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

El Centro College Food and Hospitality Institute

Food Service Dining Room ( 60 seats )
B.Y.O.B.
SEATING LIMITED... Order tickets at https://www.foundation.dcccd.edu/vogeli-dinner
NO TICKETS MAY BE PURCHASED AT DOOR

Menu

Passed Hors d' oeuvres
Tarts & Canapes

First Course
Carrot Soup

Second Course
Poached Sole Fillets, Orange Fennel Cream Sauce

Third Course
Lemon Sorbet

Fourth Course
Beef Wellington, Foie Gras, Cabernet Demi-Glace
Tourne Potatoes, Haricot Verts

Fifth Course
Winter Greens, Citrus Vinaigrette

Sixth Course

Layered Mousse Cake

- J.B. Blocker is a media consultant based in Collin County in North Texas. Advertise with J.B. by calling 469-334-9962.