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Rochelle Huppin is a chef and restaurateur with businesses based in Chicago, Illinois, and Culver City, California. She is considered to have "revolutionized" modern culinary apparel by creating and introducing into the industry clothing made of natural fabrics with contemporary, cutting-edge designs. She is founder and President of Chefwear, Inc.

Biography

A native of Spokane, Washington, Rochelle Huppin graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1984 with a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and Languages. She also holds a B.S. from the University of Judaism in Los Angeles. She subsequently attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Parke, New York. Huppin graduated from the CIA ^[1] with honors in 1987, with an advanced degree in Culinary Arts and went on to specialize in pastry. Rochelle co-wrote the pastry menu and oversaw the pastry chef at the now defunct Beacon Restaurant^[2] in Culver City. She was one of the general partners of Beacon with Kazuto Matsusaka & Vicki Fan. Rochelle is the Founder and President of Chefwear, a company that produces contemporary and traditional chef clothing. Rochelle is a former Board Member of The American Institute of Wine & Food. Huppin currently serves on the Board of Directors of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs.^[3] She is the President-Elect of the organization and will begin her presidency in the fall of 2011.

Culinary background

Huppin worked part time during her senior year at UCLA, planting and tending the first herb garden at the Hotel Bel-Air.^[4] She then attended the Culinary Institute of America. In 1987, upon graduation from the CIA, Huppin secured the position of Pastry Assistant with Michel Richard's Citrus Restaurant during the year it opened on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. She later returned to the Hotel Bel-Air as Assistant Pastry Chef and was subsequently promoted to Executive Pastry Chef, working alongside the hotel's Executive Chef George Morrone. Following this, Huppin worked as the Pastry Chef at Angeli Restaurant for Evan Kleiman [1], before heading to Northern California to serve as the opening pastry Chef for Bradley Ogden [2] and Michael Dellar's [3] Lark Creek Inn [4] in Larkspur, California. Rochelle then moved back to Los Angeles to work for Wolfgang Puck & Barbara Lazaroff [5] at their restaurants: Spago, located in West Hollywood at the time and Chinois on Main [6], in Santa Monica, California. Huppin served on the opening crew for their next two ventures: Eureka restaurant in West Los Angeles and Granita restaurant in Malibu. Huppin has participated in the opening of nearly a dozen restaurants.

Business

Huppin is the Founder and President of Chefwear, Inc., a company which manufactures clothing for chefs and those in the restaurant industry.^[5] While a student at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in 1985, Huppin designed her own chef's clothing as an alternative to the uncomfortable, polyester student-issue chef's uniforms of the day, which were cut for men. Using all-cotton material, Huppin continued to have pants custom-made for herself after graduation, as she began work in the culinary field. While working as a pastry chef for Wolfgang Puck several years later, Huppin shared her pant innovation with other chefs on staff. During a Wolfgang Puck “Meals on Wheels” charity event in Los Angeles she gave out pairs of pants to several prominent chefs in attendance including Bobby Flay, Jonathan Waxman,^[6] Jody Denton, Marc Valiani and Wolfgang Puck himself. Soon after, Huppin began receiving requests from other chefs for her pants. This led to the creation in 1990, of Chefwear, Inc. Huppin initially ran the business out of her Santa Monica, California, guesthouse, subsequently moving operations to Venice, California. By 1992, the growing business moved to Chicago, Illinois, and remained there until two years ago. Since the company's inception Huppin has served as the President and her husband, Gary Fleck, would eventually become the Chief Executive Officer. Chefwear’s catalog currently encompasses products for the professional chef and the recreational cook.^[7] More recently, three more lines were launched: a shoe line, an Eco-friendly line and Barwear^[8] – a new line dedicated to bar chefs and mixologists. Huppin and Fleck divorced in 2006 but continue to run the company together, with Huppin as president and Fleck as CEO. In the spring of 2009, Chefwear moved from their base in Chicago to a new and larger facility in Addison, Illinois, as it needed more space for growth and expansion.^[9] In January 2010, Chefwear reached its 20th anniversary.

Huppin was the Executive Pastry Chef and founding partner of Beacon, an Asian-inspired café in the Helms Bakery complex in Culver City, California.^[10] She worked alongside her partners: Executive Chef Kazuto Matsusaka, General Manager Vicki Fan and Pastry Chef Lorraine Tajiri.^[11] The restaurant closed in January, 2011, after a seven year run.^[12]

Awards

Fellow, Culinary Institute of America, 2011
Ambassador, Culinary Institute of America, 2010
Hannah Solomon Business Woman-of-the-Year from the National Council of Jewish Women, 2003 ^[13]
Share Our Strength Sponsorship Award - 2000
Chicago Manufacturing Center Excellence Award - 1996
Business of the Year award Chicago Mercantile Mart—1994

References

External links

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[1] ttp://www.cianewswire.com/2010/09/rochellehuppingradspeaker.html

[2] ttp://www.laweekly.com/2004-07-08/eat-drink/don-t-call-it-a-comeback/

[3] ttp://www.womenchefs.org/displayboard.cfm?defaultdisplay=32289

[4] ttp://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-72658356.html

[5] ttp://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-7725532/Rochelle-Huppin-President-Chefwear.html

[6] ttp://cafemeetingplace.com/resource-center/instructornews/item/349-chefwear-founder-rochelle-huppin-/'87-returns-to-alma-mater-as-commencement-speaker-at-the-culinary-institute-of-america.html

[7] ttp://www.hotfrog.com/Companies/Chefwear-Inc

[8] ttp://baconfestchicago.com/chefwear

[9] ttp://www.thefreelibrary.com/Rochelle+Huppin+Fleck.-a072658356

[10] ttp://www.urbanspoon.com/r/5/61220/restaurant/Culver-City/Beacon-LA

[11] ttp://www.buzzofla.com/Detail.aspx?aid=314

[12] ttp://blogs.laweekly.com/squidink/2011/01/beacon_culver_city_to_close_ma.php

[13] ttp://www.ncjwla.org/about/supporters.php

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 ==Culinary background==
-Huppin  worked part time during her senior year at UCLA, planting and tending the first herb garden at the [[Hotel Bel-Air]].<ref>http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-72658356.html</ref> She then attended the Culinary Institute of America.  In 1987, upon graduation from the CIA, Huppin secured the position of Pastry Assistant with [[Michel Richard]]'s Citrus Restaurant during the year it opened on Melrose Avenue in [[Los Angeles]]. She later returned to the Hotel Bel-Air as Assistant Pastry Chef and was subsequently promoted to Executive Pastry Chef, working alongside the hotel's Executive Chef [[George Morrone]]. Following this, Huppin worked as the Pastry Chef at Angeli Restaurant for Evan Kleiman [http://www.kcrw.com/people/kleiman_evan?role=host], before heading to [[Northern California]] to serve as the opening pastry Chef for Bradley Ogden [http://www.chefbradleyogden.com/] and Michael Dellar's [http://www.chefdb.com/nm/6392/Michael-Dellar] Lark Creek Inn [http://www.tavernatlarkcreek.com/] in [[Larkspur, California]]. Rochelle then moved back to Los Angeles to work for [[Wolfgang Puck]] & Barbara Lazaroff [http://barbaralazaroff.com/] at their restaurants: [[Spago]], located in [[West Hollywood]] at the time and Chinois on Main [http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/fine-dining/3654], in [[Santa Monica, California]]. Huppin served on the opening crew for their next two ventures: Eureka restaurant in [[West Los Angeles]] and [[Granita restaurant]] in [[Malibu]]. Huppin has participated in the opening of nearly a dozen restaurants.
+Huppin  worked part time during her senior year at UCLA, planting and tending the first herb garden at the [[Hotel Bel-Air]].<ref>http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-72658356.html</ref> She then attended the Culinary Institute of America.  In 1987, upon graduation from the CIA, Huppin secured the position of Pastry Assistant with [[Michel Richard]]'s Citrus Restaurant during the year it opened on Melrose Avenue in [[Los Angeles]]. She later returned to the Hotel Bel-Air as Assistant Pastry Chef and was subsequently promoted to Executive Pastry Chef, working alongside the hotel's Executive Chef [[George Morrone]]. Following this, Huppin worked as the Pastry Chef at Angeli Restaurant for Evan Kleiman [http://www.kcrw.com/people/kleiman_evan?role=host], before heading to [[Northern California]] to serve as the opening pastry Chef for Bradley Ogden [http://www.chefbradleyogden.com/] and Michael Dellar's [http://www.chefdb.com/nm/6392/Michael-Dellar] Lark Creek Inn [http://www.tavernatlarkcreek.com/] in [[Larkspur, California]]. Rochelle then moved back to Los Angeles to work for [[Wolfgang Puck]] & Barbara Lazaroff [http://barbaralazaroff.com/] at their restaurants: [[Spago]], located in [[West Hollywood]] at the time and Chinois on Main [http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/fine-dining/3654], in [[Santa Monica, California]]. Huppin served on the opening crew for their next two ventures: Eureka restaurant in [[West Los Angeles]] and [[Granita restaurant]] in [[Malibu, California|Malibu]]. Huppin has participated in the opening of nearly a dozen restaurants.
 ==Business==