Macon Magazine

Y OU MAY NOT KNOW what a croquembouche is, but in 2015, Chef Jean-Yves Vendeville wrote the book on them. It's called Croquembouche: The Art and Technique. In Vendeville's homeland of France, they're common at weddings and as buffet and banquet centerpieces. Even a simple croquembouche is an artfully prepared French dessert, a conical tower of crispy cream puffs held in place by threads of caramel. Other ingredients and a decorative flair make any given croquembouche as low-key or beautifully festive as desired. Now at 73, and three years retired, Vendeville and his family have lived in Macon since 2006. He can map the beginning of his culinary and baking journey back to when he was 14 and apprenticed to the confectioner in his hometown of Libercourt. "I liked it, liked it very much, and continued on to become a pastry chef," Vendeville said. "But later, I turned to culinary pursuits. I've always enjoyed learning and new challenges, whether creating a new dish or menu, or managing kitchens or strings of kitchens for the hotels I've worked for. That was true my whole career and eventually led me to teach." Technically, the culinary arts have to do with food, main dish preparation, and presentation, while bread, desserts, and confections are the domain of bakers and pastry chefs. Each offers its own trials and rewards. "After pastry, I taught myself culinary, butchery, and kitchen management," Vendeville said. "Then I got interested in food and wine pairings. Once, I was very much a French wine purist, but now I appreciate others, like Pinots from Oregon and Chardonnays from California." Lightly traced, Vendeville's successful and award-winning chef's journey took him from France to various corners of the world, eventually landing him in Montreal working in Ritz-Carlton hotels and then Toronto to work in the Four Seasons hotel network's head offices. Among his accomplishments there, he developed new menus and alternative cuisines including healthful three-course dinners of no more than 500 calories. It was in Canada that he met his American wife-to-be, Maureen, and there his career took a turn toward teaching. He and his new family moved to Vermont, where he taught culinary arts. So how did he get to Georgia? "That was Maureen," he said. "She was tired of the cold and wanted to live somewhere warm." Why Macon? Again, it was Maureen's choice, and her reasons were clear. "I saw photos of Macon in the spring and its glorious profusion of blossoms and emerging leaves in white and pink and every shade in between," she said. "Really, a er living here for 16 years, nothing I've experienced is as exciting as this city in the spring. There's a warm, sociable culture – Southern charm – but there's also a bit of spice mixed in. Truthfully, I don't know how to top what Macon has. It's city living for convenience but has the countryside and nature right alongside with no sacrifice of community feel." In Macon, Vendeville was initially involved in developing the culinary program at Goodwill Industries Polly's Hospitality Institute. In 2008, he agreed to head the Culinary Institute at Savannah Technical College while still keeping his Macon residence. Under his guidance, programs were added and enrollment doubled. Students from the program won four American Culinary Federation Southeast Regional Championships and went to nationals. As for Vendeville, his reputation grew along with the school: He won Instructor of the Year for the Technical College System of Georgia; he was named Chef Educator of the Year by the American Culinary Federation; he was given the American Culinary Federation's top annual honor; he was inaugurated into the American Academy of Chefs; he was given lifetime Executive Pastry Chef Certification by the American Culinary Federation; and he was rewarded a lifetime Executive Chef Certification from the Chef Association of America, all among several other honors and distinctions. Executive Chef Matthew Hammock of Macon's Oliver's Corner Bistro at Second and Poplar streets downtown is a graduate of the Savannah program and hails Vendeville with "Hi Chef!" whenever he comes in to eat. "Jean headed the whole culinary program, of which I was part, and I was fortunate to get to take his pastry class," Hammock said. He called Vendeville an engaging teacher who was not only an expert in his cra but also at instructing, inspiring, and challenging students. He said Vendeville's direct instruction and excellent program leadership helped provide the groundwork for the success he and other chefs — and their patrons — enjoy today. Vendeville's accomplishments and the positive light he shone on French culture were not lost on his home government. He was made an honorary French consul and, in 2017, the French government bestowed on him the title of Knight of the Order of the French Academic Palms, the oldest and highest non-military honor given. It made him a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Palmes. In 2020, he put down his chef's hat and retired. Vendeville said he was open to new challenges beyond his gardening and other activities, and his wife presented him with another one of her good ideas. In light of having arthritis in his hands, Maureen – she herself a talented painter – suggested taking a ceramics class at The 567 Center might be fun and therapeutic. "I brought what I already knew to what I learned of ceramics," he said. "There's great art in food and pastry creation. There's the fine FEBRUARY/MARCH 2023 | maconmagazine.com 101

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