Chef Denisse Ollier tells her story and shows off her latest recipe

Interview with Denisse Ollier

Skills, Ability and Knowledge

Chef, Entrepreneur, TV Personality and Latin Community Leader

www.Denisseoller.com

By Jessie Riley

(Note: Read through to the bottom for a special recipe from Chef Ollier)

Jessie:  Hi Denisse, I know I’ve known you a very long time from fundraiser events, and then we reconnected at ICE a few years ago.  How did you wind up at ICE, for the culinary and management programs?  

Denisse:  I always loved good food.  As a child, I would spend hours watching and helping Grandma Juana as she created magic in her small, but wondrous kitchen in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  My mother, however, pushed me away from the kitchen. She wanted me to be a career woman, which I became.

As luck would have it, I chose to be an international correspondent, traveling and tasting foods from all over, which, once I got home, I had the urge to recreate.  One cookbook after another led to a pile of recipes, and how to and a need to know more.  In 2005, I enrolled in the Professional Culinary Arts program at ICE…   Life would never be the same. I became hooked, obsessed with learning more.  And I wanted to explore the possibility of having my own restaurant---thus, I also took the Management course.

 Jessie:  Was settling into kitchen life a difficult transition for a TV anchor?

Denisse:  I did both courses at ICE while still a senior female anchor at Univision NY and while doing an externship at Le Bernardin,  and having a weekly morning segment called Riquisimo con Denisse.  It was brutal. Really crazy!!!!

Leaving my TV job was liberating, but at the same time I lost the routine, the stability, the rhythm of a 9-5, well, in this case 2:30-11:30 pm job. I lost the daily feedback of our audience and the working routine with my colleagues.  Most of all, I missed covering breaking news.

In turn, I gained my freedom…  My creative freedom, my freedom from living by a set of rules that tied me down with a lists of do’s and mostly don’ts that extended to my off time.  After more than 20 years of being in a business that rewarded loyalty and discouraged self-expression and creativity, I was ready to see what else was out there.

It was not an easy transition---there were lots of adjustments to be made- but, for the first time, I was able to run my life—to experiment- to see what works and doesn’t work and where I can go with my skills, abilities and knowledge.

Jessie:  I know you issue periodic online newsletters, with beautiful food photography.  How long have you had your marketing newsletter?  How do you find it helpful?  Do you also do Facebook, Twitter, etc.  How do you think most of your fans keep up with you? And do you have a publicist -- or are you your own?

Denisse:  I have had the monthly letter on and off since 2008. I stopped writing for a while because of  health issues.  Now I send my monthly newsletter regularly, plus I am very active on Facebook and Twitter.  I do not have a publicist.

Jessie:  I saw online that you are also selling a line of cook wear.   How did you develop your line of pans -- was it your idea or Fagor's?  How long did it take to develop and what was the process?  Are you planning to sell more kitchen ware type products?  Do you have to travel around and/or do promotions for them? Provide recipes that people can use?  

Denisse:  Fagor is a worldwide leader in cookware. They approached me almost two years ago to develop a line of cookware that was both affordable and of excellent quality.  We even checked the Pantone color wheel to match the exact color that I wanted.  It was a very creative process, stressful at times, but ultimately satisfying. Yes, I do travel to promote my line and my e-store is part of my official website so people have access to my recipes.   www.Denisseoller.com

Jessie:  A while back we were talking about you developing on a line of cookies, and looking for a producer, what happened to that project?  

Denisse:  I started Boca Dulce, my line of delicious cookies with Latin flavors, on September 2008, a week before the financial collapse. It only goes to show that timing is everything. I was able to hang in there and actually, sell my cookies for the next six months. Thanks in part to promotional efforts of my own and to my good chef friends. In the end, I didn’t have the infrastructure to fully establish myself. I had to fold the business. I learned a lot, especially the importance of planning every step. 

Jessie:   When you do your TV demos, like your weekly Hispanic cooking and nutrition segment for the AARP, who decides what you will cover?  You and producers?  Any words of advice to another entrepreneur who might have a TV gig that would be helpful to share, since this is your field???

Denisse:  The producer and I consult to see what would be a good fit. Sometimes it depends on the air time available and others, on the time of the year (Christmas, spring and Mother’s Day). It is a collaborative effort. My best advice to anyone who wants to be on TV is to be yourself and to communicate in a friendly fashion. 

Jessie:  And recently, you’ve taken on a position at Seton Hall University.  

How is the transition to an academic environment?  

Denisse:  When I’m not cooking, I am the Executive Director of the Unanue Latino Institute at Seton Hall University.  In its essence, this job is also about communicating, which is my calling in life.  I thoroughly enjoy all aspects of this position, from event planning to fundraisers to being in touch with our students on a daily basis.  As a matter of fact, they enrich my life.

Jessie:  What's next for Denisse?  What else would you like to be doing?   

Denisse:  I have a great food business at Denisseoller.com, I am a top collaborator for AARP, and I work as executive director of the Latino Institute at Seton Hall University, plus I am a spokesperson for several entities whose message of health and fitness and empowerment I embrace. I make a great living and I decide when to go on vacations and for how long!! What more can I ask for? 


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Sautéed Spicy Chicken Breasts with Fresh Mango Salsa

Yields 4 servings

Ingredients

4 boneless chicken breasts, lightly pounded

4 ounces smoked bacon

1 garlic clove, minced

8 ounces baby spinach, washed and rinsed

4 ounces soft goat cheese 

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons salt

Freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons canola oil

Mango Salsa 

2 fresh mangoes, finely chopped

1 red pepper, small dice

½ medium red onion, small dice

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, leaves only, finely chopped

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375ºF

1.      Mix all ingredients for the mango salsa in a bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

2.      Place bacon in skillet and fry at medium heat until crisp. Place on paper towels and proceed to chop in small bits. Set aside.

3.      Remove all but one tablespoon of fat from the skillet and sauté the garlic and spinach. Set aside to cool.

4.      In a bowl, combine the spinach mix with the goat cheese and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add bacon.

5.      Into the thickest part of each chicken breast cut a 3-inch pocket. Stuff with the spinach-cheese mixture. Close with a toothpick.

6.      Mix the cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Season each breast with the mixture. You may cover and refrigerate for one hour or up to a day ahead.

7.      Heat a large oven proof skillet at medium high, add canola oil and once it is hot, place the chicken breasts and sauté 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Turnover and cook 3-4 minutes.

8.      Transfer to oven and roast for 10-12 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 165ºF. Remove from oven and keep warm until ready to serve. 

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Having copyright issues with your recipes?

Don't Plagarize:  Someone Will Find Out !

By Kathryn Gordon 

CoAuthor with Anne E. McBride of Les Petits Macarons, Colorful French Macarons to Make at Home

Running Press, 2011

Below are answers to recipe copyright questions posed in macaron classes at ICE, The Institute of Culinary Education where Jeff Yoskowitz and Kathryn Gordon teach.  After using some of Kathryn's published material with students, we thought it could useful to learn about recipe copywriting, etc. so other people can avoid troublesome situations.

1. What are the copyright laws pertaining to recipes?

You actually cannot copyright a recipe.  You can’t copyright the ingredient list, the techniques you use, or the explicit instructions you give to describe the technique.

Recipes are exempt from all claims of intellectual property.  However – a reasonable claim of copyright infringement can be made if someone is listing material from your published work if it:  a) includes your head notes; and b) the language from your process is more or less identical.

2. Can a publisher prosecute an individual who republishes a recipe without permission?

No – and it would generally be a very costly process to a publisher.  But you can “shame” the person.  If someone published a recipe without permission on the internet, you can get it taken down off the web.  If someone published without giving credit to the author in print, the author can report the incident to their publisher so they know to be aware of that issue and person.

3. What can an author do to protect their original recipes?

I learned a trick from another cookbook author to always share documents in a “PDF” format.  I realize it’s not foolproof as it could always be retyped from scratch, of course, but modifying the document is more problematic for someone who intends to plagiarize.

If you give out material, such as in classes you teach, you need to always note that the recipe cannot be redistributed or used online without permission.

4. How does recipe reprinting work?  Every time someone wants to reprint of the recipe from a book in another book, a magazine, or in a blog they have to clear it with the publisher?

For any recipe previously published in a book – permission to reprint or use online has to be given by the publisher.  The author does not have the authority to give the permission.  A publisher wants to be aware of these situations regarding how the material is going to be reused because they need to make sure it is correctly attributed, with the correct dates of publication, and where the book can be purchased.  

5. What if I have previously published an original recipe myself, but on the web (maybe through a food blog) and not in traditional print form? 

Then you as the author can give direct permission to someone else, such as to another food blogger, to republish your recipe.  You don't need to go through anyone else.

6. What if someone wants to reprint a recipe in their food blog, or somewhere else online? 
(As an instructor using a variety of recipes from multiple sources, I have noted that the question does come up in classes because nowadays, a lot of students film the classes, take pictures of their products and blog that day about what they produced and sometimes want to share the recipe for the product that they baked in our ICE curriculum).

It’s best for students (bloggers, and everyone else) to get in the habit of regularly obtaining permission from the publisher to share the recipe.  Even if they modify a recipe, they need to write good head notes.  Probably your idea was inspired by someone else. Where did the original idea for that recipe/technique come from?  Make the connection back to that source in your head notes (head notes are often noted under the recipe title to explain the inspiration or provenance of a recipe).

Going through the formality to reprint an actual recipe from another author is a simple process.  Most authors these days have websites and can be reached via Facebook or email.  An author should turn around and put the person making the request in contact with the publisher for formal permission.  

But when in doubt, don’t republish a recipe.  Ethically, the right thing to do is to attribute an idea to its source.  

7. Say you’re a food blogger, and you want to obtain permission from a publisher to reprint a recipe in full?  How does the permission process work?

Someone will contact the publicity department of a publisher, and they are generally happy to give permission for legitimate promotions of their books.   It can give the magazine good material for an article, and helps the author and the publisher sell more books.  A publisher knows they have to “give away a little” to generate sales.  They will also often proof the article, etc. to ensure the recipe is correctly represented without errors.

Below is how one of our macaron recipes was reprinted in Wine Spectator, with permission from our publisher, Running Press:

8. How do editors, book agents and publicists keep aware of what might be published out there in cyberspace and would be considered a violation of the intellectual property rights?

An easy method is to set up “Google Alerts,” like on the name of your book.  You will get a lot of email – but some of it will be legitimate notices that someone has taken one of your recipes.   Publishers are always reading material and “looking” for misuse in the similarities to that of their author’s recipes and procedures.

9.  If you find a violation, what is the most effective way to remedy the situation?  

The power of Twitter is amazing, and embarrassing if someone finds out you did something wrong.  "Shame" is a highly motivational force.

Sometimes though, you track down an illegal e-book and its origin is more robotic or a pirate site than attributable to a person you can make take down the material.  It can be an uphill battle with everything that’s printed and reprinted (illegally) via the internet.  The music industry has the same issues regarding pirate sites downloading material so the musician (author) and producer (publisher) don’t make money.

10. How else has the internet affected recipe publishing?

Authors can correct mistakes in e-books quicker than through the reprint process.  Different publishers do it differently because it costs money to resend a file to all nooks, kindles, pdf readers etc. but there are clear benefits for a consumer to have the information in that format.  Prior to e-books, consumers might have contacted a publisher that a book contained an error but they would have to wait for a physical reprinting if they wanted a copy with the correction. 

In closing:  unless you know you came up with a recipe as an original idea – don’t rip people off.  Make it a habit to contact the person who came up with the material originally (the author) or go directly to their publisher for permission.

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