by John Gessner
Thisweek Newspapers

Jeffrey LaBeau wants to put his hometown of Burnsville on the culinary map.

LaBeau has worked as a chef in hoity-toity joints from The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia to the Garden City Hotel in New York.

But the apprenticeship is over, and LaBeau figures itís time for chefs to learn a thing or two from him.

LaBeau is director of culinary operations at the International Chefsí Culinary Center (ICCC) in Burnsvilleís Grande Market Place.

The center, which opened last month and celebrates a grand opening tonight (Saturday), is a banquet room and culinary school rolled into one.

Located on the second floor of the south end of Grande Market Place, ICCC is the brainchild of Burnsville resident and majority owner Ron Achterkirch, who recruited LaBeau to be his culinary director and a minority owner.

ìThere is no reason,î Achterkirch declared, ìthat this place and this state shouldnít be on the culinary map of the United States.î

Achterkirch is a former Control Data executive and software-company founder who pitched the idea for the mixed-use Grande Market Place project to developer Sherman and Associates. His vision of a European-style market square in Burnsvilleís Heart of the City redevelopment district was inspired by his worldwide travels and love of fine dining.

The vision included the ICCC, the only piece of the sprawling Grande Market Place project in which Achterkirch retains majority ownership. Its 440-seat banquet room places it in the top 10 of Twin Cities banquet centers, Achterkirch said.

He and LaBeau are still developing plans for the school. They intend to offer classes for amateur ìfoodiesî but also working chefs seeking high levels of certification by the American Culinary Federation ó including the ìmasterî level, one held by only 71 chefs nationwide.

ìI would like to have a culinary program where executive chefs could come through the program and increase their chances significantly of passing the certified master chef exam,î Achterkirch said.

LaBeau, a certified executive chef (one level below master), plans to recruit master chefs to do much of the professional teaching. ìAnd while theyíre doing that, they can offer courses for foodies,î he said.
Hometown
cooking

LaBeau, whose mother was a waitress and caterer, grew up around good food. The 1984 Burnsville High School graduate began chefís training at Dakota County Technical College while still in high school.

He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in New York, apprenticed at the Saint Paul Hotel and worked under master chef Hartmut Handke at the five-star Greenbrier resort.

LaBeau headed to New York with wife Patty, a fellow chef he met at The Greenbrier. He worked as sous chef at Fluties in the Wall Street District, as executive chef at seafood restaurant Riverbay on Long Island and as executive sous chef at the Garden City Hotel.

ìThatís when I found that I had a passion for seafood,î LaBeau said of his New York days. ìWith beef and pork, it is what it is ó you can only do so many things with it. But having 60,000 species to create with is just awesome.î

LaBeauís big break came with a glowing New York Times review of Riverbay. ìThatís when my career took off,î said LaBeau, 38, who now lives in Lakeville with Patty and their two children.

He was lured back to Minnesota in 1992 by his brother, Kenny, who owns the Longbranch Saloon and Eatery in Farmington. They opened The Depot Bar and Grill in Faribault, adding a fine-dining touch to a twice-bankrupt casual restaurant. Jeff and Patty LaBeau still own The Depot, where Patty runs the kitchen.

When Achterkirch introduced himself to LaBeau three years ago, LaBeau weighed 350 pounds and wasnít sure about the strangerís grand scheme to build a ìdowntown Burnsville.î

Now a gastric bypass has LaBeau down to 200 pounds, and Grande Market Place is the anchor of the Heart of the City.

ìJeff and I make a good team,î Achterkirch said. ìHe knows the catering and food business inside out. Iím a good sales guy and Iím a good marketing guy, and we both have a strong desire to put together a quality culinary program for working chefs.î

John Gessner is at burnsville.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.

Top of Page

Check out this week's newspaper for more about your community.

Thisweek Newspapers
12190 County Road 11, Burnsville, MN 55337
Telephone: 952-894-1111 Fax: 952-846-2010