Certified Master Chef Ferdinand Metz received his early culinary training at the small hotel, butcher shop and restaurant, owned by his parents in the rural Bavarian town of Kaufbeuren. After completing two apprenticeships in the cooking and pastry disciplines, he immigrated at the age of 19 to the United States, where he gained valuable experiences working in all facets of the food industry, including food research and development.
Cooking at Le Pavillon, often cited then as the best restaurant in America allowed Chef Metz to experience the highest level of excellence in cooking, which shaped, if not dominated his evolving philosophy on food and hospitality all shared in this book. Recognized for his contributions Chef Metz earned virtually every major award, including the James Beard Lifetime Achievement, leading the US Culinary Olympic team to three World Championships and one World Cup and earning over 30 Olympic and international gold medals, the Medal of the French Republic, The Order of the White Rose of Finland, the Catherine de Medici Medal, the Gold Medal of the French Master Chefs, induction into the American Academy Hall of Fame and the Maître D' Honneur by the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, one of only three recipients in the United States. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the American Culinary Federation's Cooks' Apprenticeship, Chefs' Certification and the Master Chefs' program, providing structure and qualification criteria for the accreditation of America's chefs. He became the first Certified Master Chef in country with an earned MBA.
In his 21-year tenure presiding over the fortunes of the Culinary Institute of America, the country's foremost institution of its kind, Chef Metz was fortunate to not only observe, but actively influence the development of the American chefs as evidenced by the legions of successful CIA graduates, many of whom would become leaders of the new American Cuisine's movement.
As President Emeritus of the Culinary Institute of America, past chairman of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, and past president of the World Association of Chefs, a global organization of over ten million culinarians, Ferdinand Metz enjoys a domestic and international culinary presence.
Today, he leads the Master Chefs' Institute, an organization dedicated to testing and recognizing outstanding food products and equipment.
