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FELC Mission Statement 2008
The FELC exists to provide a conduit for the exchange of ideas and values that promote growth and understanding of culinary arts and hospitality education. To that purpose our organization will serve culinary arts and hospitality educators from secondary and post secondary institutions with a network of partners and colleagues that will aid in making good teachers great teachers.
Value Statement
It is our belief that the value of a teacher is best attained when the student receiving the education is given the maximum of the teacher’s net worth. The teacher’s net worth grows exponentially through on-going technical and theoretical training within one’s field. It is to this end that the FELC is committed to provide an assortment of technical and theoretical tools through seminars, workshops, certifications, networking, and products to enhance the development of culinary and hospitality educators.
Meet our Team
This unique team of Michael Carmel, Dr. Mick La Lopa, and Jami Yanoski bring together over 75 years of education and managerial experience to the forefront of the Foodservice Educators Learning Community. It is their passion and vision to share their knowledge and love for culinary arts and hospitality education with a community of foodservice educators that also have the same passion. It is their fervent desire that in the long run we can all become better teachers teaching the students of tomorrow.
Michael Carmel CEC, CCE, M. Ad. Ed.
Executive Director of Culinary Education for FELC
Chef Michael Carmel is the Department Chair of Culinary Arts at the Culinary Institute of Charleston-Trident technical College. He is a Culinary Institute of America graduate, 1978. In addition, he holds an A.A. in Liberal Arts from U.N.Y at Farmingdale, Farmingdale, NY, a B.A.in English /Theater-Film from Long Island University – C.W. Post, Greenvale, NY, and a M.A.D. from National-Louis University in Evanston, IL.
Chef Carmel has been responsible for leading culinary curriculums at notable culinary institutions including the Orlando Culinary Academy-Le Cordon Bleu School, where he served as the Vice President of education. He has also held culinary directorship positions in culinary programs at the Arts Institutes-Illinois Institute of Art and Kendall College. He has taught culinary & hospitality courses for over 24 years in both the private and public sectors of post-secondary colleges and universities.
In addition to his teaching experience, Carmel’s chef experience has allowed him to be the Executive chef at numerous restaurants in Chicago, He has consulted with different organizations in opening and managing restaurants as well as developed products with major corporations nationally and internationally, including Kraft, Quaker Oats, Tyson Foods, Hillshire Farms, and national food councils and boards. He was the American Culinary Federation Education Chair in 2000-2004 and continues to be active with the ACF in accreditation. His speaking engagements and seminars include the American Culinary Federation, Café, FENI, and now FELC.
When not running the Culinary Institute of Charleston, Chef Carmel continues to travel around the world consulting on curriculum and educating faculty in post-secondary colleges and universities; or taking students on education tours throughout Europe. He is in the process of developing an education consortium through his school and others throughout the country which will produce an exchange of faculty and students.
Joseph “Mick” LaLopa, Ph.D.
Executive Director of Hospitality Education for FELC
Publisher of the FELC Newsletter
Dr. Joseph "Mick" La Lopa teaches sales, human resource management, and business feasibility courses in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Purdue University. He has been a member of the faculty since 1996. He earned his Ph.D. at Michigan State University, his Master's at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and his baccalaureate degree at the University of North Texas, and Associates at Richland Community College.
Mick’s passion for teaching is exemplified through every class of student Mick touches. He was the recipient of every major teaching award that can be bestowed to faculty members at the department, school, and university level in his first four years at Purdue. He was the 2003 recipient of the John Wiley & Sons Innovative Teacher of the Year awarded by the International Council of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Educators. Mick shares his passion for teaching with other educators by publishing papers, making presentations, conducting workshops, and providing direct consultation to Purdue faculty through the Center for Instructional Excellence, the Teaching Academy, and the Teaching for Tomorrow Program. He is also on the board of consulting editors and writes the research corner for the Journal of Culinary Science and Technology.
Dr. La Lopa has plenty of experience with helping foodservice educators learn to enhance their teaching skills. He was on the original team that started the Foodservice Educators Network International (FENI) over 10 years ago. He is also the creator of Chef Educator Today magazine; in addition to serving as its first editor, and writing regularly for the magazine, he served as the associate publisher at the end of 2007 and spring 2008. He also co-founded the Center for Advancement for Foodservice Education (CAFE) which still exists today.
Jami Yanoski
Executive Director Marketing & Membership for FELC
Jami Yanoski has spent more than 12 years in the food industry where she rose in responsibility to become marketing manager for a national commodity board. Though adept at running programs in the General Consumer, Hispanic, and Kids marketing areas, Jami’s passion has been in Foodservice and Chef Education areas.
The foodservice programs that Jami has created have drawn national acclaim from some of the nation’s largest restaurant groups, foodservice corporations and product development organizations who have participated in the very unique marketing activities that she has created. These activities include product demonstrations, seminars, conferences, trade shows and exhibitions.
Jami ‘s strong belief in the need for on-going chef education, especially in these times of rapidly changing food trends, has helped to elevate her to one of the most well respected, outspoken leaders in the Commodity Board Food trade. In addition to educating chef educators and chef throughout the country, Jaime has developed chef competitions nationally and throughout Japan. She has worked extensively with various chapters of Le Cordon Bleu, the Culinary Institute of America-Greystone and the American Culinary Federation.
Ms. Yanoski is the recipient of the ASAE Gold Circle award for a kids educational program, she has developed numerous CD’s, DVD’s, brochures, and educational curricula for beginning and advanced chefs, and she is frequently asked to speak at seminars, to the print and electronic media and to major trade groups on trends within the foodservice and chef education areas.