On Monday, June 13, 2005, I had the opportunity to work side-by-side with Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel, owner and chef of Cincinnati Ohio’s Jean-Robert at Pigall’s at 7 Days for SIDS: A One Week Fundraiser for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, an event that he and his wife Annette founded after losing their daughter Tatiana to SIDS in June of 2002. In the past two years, this annual event has raised over $80,000 for SIDS education, research, and parent support and has funded the Tatiana de Cavel scholarship fund at the Midwest Culinary Institute (“MCI”) at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. 

Since early January 2005, I have been volunteering at Jean-Robert at Pigall’s (“Pigall’s”) to gain real-world restaurant experience to compliment my ongoing culinary training at Midwest Culinary Institute. This experience has been outstanding, and I’ve accelerated my learning and skills tremendously since starting with Pigall’s. When I learned of this annual event, I offered to help and Chef accepted my offer.

The event I worked with Chef on was “Chefapalooza“, the kick-off gala for 7 Days of SIDS. From the website, Chefapalooza is described as:

Take three world-class chefs, add three delicious celebrities, stir well, and sprinkle liberally with food, wine, and laughter. What do you get? Chefapalooza!Sink in to the theatre seats at the Midwest Culinary Institute’s state-of-the-art cooking amphitheater and watch live demos of mouth-watering appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Enjoy tasty samples of each of the dishes … before and after the show. Continue reading 7 Days for SIDS