Clockwise from top left: a guest chef at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst talks with student customers; a Sodexo guest chef promotion featuring Chilean cuisine; a guest chef prepares food to order for a customer at a display station in a Parkhurst account.

It's October 13, 2008 at New Jersey's Princeton University and Mick Verheyen, executive chef at Chicago's Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse, has prepared a delectable menu of filet sliders, marinated skirt steak, grilled yellowfin tuna, “killer” cole slaw and double baked potatoes. It's a special menu that's offered as part of the university's Great Chefs of Chicago visiting chefs program.

Princeton's Forbes College is the first to host Verheyen's fresh and simple menu, which will rotate through four other dining halls during his stay this week. During a quiet moment, just before the first meal is served, Dining Services Director Stu Orefice and Assistant Vice President for Facilities Chad Klaus present Verheyen with a plaque recognizing his contribution to Princeton dining. Proudly, he accepts it and says, “I'm very, very happy to be here.”

Even for a chef with outstanding commercial foodservice credentials, such programs can present real professional challenges, Orefice says.

“When you bring a chef out of the restaurant world and tell them they need to prepare two appetizers, two salads, two soups, five entrees, three accompaniments and three desserts — oh and by the way there need to be some vegan and vegetarian options in there too — it can be a little intimidating,” he says. “But our team is there to help, and we find our guest chefs come away with a real sense of pride in having participated.”

Like most such programs, Princeton's visiting chef series seeks to leverage a well known chef's culinary reputation as part of a special event, while simultaneously contributing to the gastronomic education of department staff. But a closer look at these programs also shows that almost every one has its own unique aspects.

In February, a cardiac surgeon at Boston's Massachusetts General teamed up with the hospital's executive chef for a heart healthy cooking demonstration. The University of Massachusetts showcases regional cuisines annually by temporarily trading chefs with other big ten universities like Virginia Tech, Notre Dame and Ohio State. And in a corporate version of this kind of program, top chefs from all dining segments representing Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, England, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Spain and the United States embark on multinational culinary journey each year as part of Aramark's annual International Guest Chef Exchange.

In fact, countless versions of guest chef programs abound in virtually all segments and among all management companies. Some lean heavily on entrepreneurial moxie, while others rely on tried-and-true templates. Yet the elements that make each program a success are the same: a consistent, well defined format, an effective, well planned marketing strategy and — most importantly — constant, detailed communication among dining program management, staff and the guest chefs.

Untangling the Hotline

Whether the visiting chef is from a long-established institution, a rising-star restaurant 2,000 miles away, or another country entirely, early and detailed preparation is crucial.

“We start by accepting nominations for International Guest Chefs about eight months out,” says Paul Carr, senior director of specialty culinary programs for Aramark. “Once we've chosen the chefs, we begin a dialogue with them, exploring the places they would like to go and the talents and skills they bring to the table.”