Culinary Trend Setters
Chef Udo Prambs
Udo Prambs
Chef Instructor to The Professional Culinary Institute, Campbell, California.
Certified Master Chef, Certified Master Restaurateur & Certifed Master Hospitality Business (Hotel)
The innovative Executive Chef Udo Prambs a certified Master Chef with a wealth
of knowledge & experience of European culinary cuisine.
For over 20 years Udo has worked for only the top European hotels & restaurants,
in Switzerland The 5 star Kulm Hotel, Germany The 5 star Maritim Group,
Italy da-Ivo 16 points Gault Milaut, England The 5 star
Four seasons group and also Hunstrete House Michelin
star rated and Israel The 5 Star Neptune Hotel one of the high points of his
venture in England was to provide the buffet at a private catering event for
a client at Windsor Castle, the library.
Celebrity guests were of no surprise at any of the establishments where he worked
and now he brings his talents to the United States of America.
Starting with Chef Prambs apprenticeship from his mother land of Germany chef
Prambs attended the top colleges to achieve his culinary goals which was the “Chefs
Degree” and also the “Master Diploma” in the hospitality business, which Udo passed
with flying colors it was awarded by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for
Munich and upper Bavaria by achieving the Master Diploma Udo become a Certified Master Chef he also achieved the following recognized diplomas as Certified Master Restaurateur and Certified Master of Hospitality Business(hotel).
It was important for chef to remain in Germany at which time the culinary institutions
he was attending were of the best & still remain internationally renowned,
the methods & trainings were long and intense with strict guide lines were
to be adhered to, putting it bluntly “if you can’t stand the heat, get out!!!”
Time had approached for chef Prambs to leave Germany and to travel to Switzerland
to advance and excel himself within his culinary career as a professional chef
and his passion for food including sugar craft and chocolate, where we as food
connoisseurs know Swiss training & experience in the culinary sense is second
to none.
From there on, it became a culinary adventure from one country to the next gaining
even more valuable experience of food & just as importantly the cultural surroundings.
Through the combination of training, experience, knowledge and the understanding of balance, chef Prambs is consistently inspired by the eclectic array of ingredients from all the countries & the traditional techniques he has experienced over the years throughout Europe and the U.S.A.
After spending almost 10 years in England, Prambs joined L’Auberge restaurant as executive chef of April 2003 set in the suburbs of Dayton. Chef Prambs was noted for fine dining at its best offering a sumptuous a la carte menu or the ever so... popular 6 or 10 course tasting menu inclusive of such luxurious foods as Beluga caviar, foie gras, chanterelle mushrooms with pancetta & bone marrow hush puppies or veal tail ravioli set on a reduced white wine & butter sauce with impeccable attention to detail, just so devine...
At the chefs table ones taste buds would be tantalized by the “chefs menu.” This
particular menu would be at chef Prambs discretion however very much dependant
on what specialties his suppliers were able to offer him & what ever was offered
was always in small quantities & usually high in demand & scarce.
Dining in the restaurant or bistro was always a sumptuous gourmet experience.
As of September 2005 Chef Prambs joined the Professional Culinary Institute in Campbell, California. More information coming soon
My experiences of living and working in the U.S.A are of a very positive nature
with the warmth and generosity of kindness from people the attitudes of our guests
wanting to try different foods or even the acceptance of trying foods which are
prepared and cooked differently lets you know that it dos'ent matter which country
you are in good food, good presentation are the key factors on a universal level
and just as importantly the older children of these people also follow suit to
explore the culinary trend as their parents do.
It just totally amazes me that even after all these years within the culinary
profession that food is very much a global topic and as long as there are mentors
such as a mother, aunt, father, friend who inspired us to become good chefs there
will be continual inspiration towards food. In my opinion food and food related
issues will always remain on the forefront of any country for many, many years.
Here…. we have a chef who creates sumptuous sauces amazing mouth watering experiences
through taste and dazzling displays of culinary art, from a starter up to entrée
and through to those naughty but delectable desserts which literally dance on
the palette through sheer excitement….
For Chef Prambs to create “balance" is to use fine quality ingredients, freshly
prepared & cooked to perfection to "create seduction on a plate just for you!”
Photo on right: Tear drop Salmon, slow poached in olive oil & filled with asparagus served on a rectangle of chardonnay sauce with beads of beluga caviar. Copyright of Udo Prambs. Photo supplied jimwitmer/Dayton Daily News all rights reserved.
Photograph on right: Wild sauteed mushrooms
in a asparagus crown served on a yellow pepper sauce.
Copyright of Udo Prambs. Photo supplied jimwitmer/Dayton Daily News all rights
reserved.
Brief Info
Awards/ Recognition
Celebrity Chef/ Teacher Extraordinaire
Cook & Dine class 02.07.05
Presented by Centerville AFS Cooking School
Question Time
Q = Chef Prambs is there any particular type of training you would recommend
a person to take who would like to enter the chef profession today? & why
A = Most definitely city & guilds/ college 7061 part 1 / 2/ 3 - the U.K &
Scotland , the rest of Europe & U.S.A chef diploma/ degree
Those of you who are seeking for a career as a head chef, the reality is that
you do need to know one end of an animal to the other unless you are totally vegetarian
who is going in that direction however you still need to know the cuts of foods
& how to achieve them, the knowledge of handling and care of knives, nutrition,
hygiene, basic cooking methods, mis-en-place the list is endless if you obtain
this knowledge before you go in to a professional kitchen it would be an advantage
for you & if you are really fortunate look for an employer who would allow
you to work & go to college at the same time for that the employer may look
for a commitment from you perhaps a minimum of 2-3 years employment & if you
leave within that time you may have to pay back the tuition costs to the employer.
This really is a necessity & its all basics… these facts of knowledge will
eventually filter through you & perhaps even through to someone who may one
day teach.
Q = Chef, have conditions changed much for someone who is either entering or
currently a chef within the profession? Are head chefs still as aggressive?
A= That was a very long time ago, when I worked in Britain & the rest of
Europe if you were rude towards your chefs it was perhaps during service? Its
an unwritten rule you just don’t mess around during service & situations still
occur where silly things like negligence, somebody has miscounted a dish, however
I have never worked any where, where it became physical & I imagine if it
had, it just would not have be tolerated. I now work & live in the U.S.A here
I would imagine you would just get sued. I say “treat everyone the way you would
like to be treated & earn the respect.”
Q = Chef are there stages/ steps you have to go through to become Executive Head
Chef?
A = Yes
Kitchen assistant –handling of food, cleaning general help
Commis chef – cutting, peeling, mis-en-place, simple cooking tasks, employee lunches
Demi chef –assistant to chef de partie
Chef de Partie – overall control of a section within the kitchen e.g. vegetable section, pantry
/ gardemanger
Sous chef - 2nd in charge & 1st in charge during the absence of Head Chef
Head Chef – In charge of kitchen
Executive Head Chef – Overall charge of kitchen brigade
Summary "Chefs Life"
A chefs life is not the most sociable of professions as an individual a combination of devotion, hard work and sacrifices are essential and through that commitment the position is rewarding with immense self satisfaction - "the cherry on the cake!"
For recipes from Chef Prambs please refer to the Recipes page.