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Everybody recalls a teacher who touched them in a positive way. For me it was Mary Brooks, my sixth-grade social studies teacher at Ritta Elementary.

I'm confident that John Antun has made the same impact.

He has been an assistant professor in hotel, restaurant and tourism management at the University of Tennessee for the past four years. In that time he has taken the campus by storm.

I first met him at a "Learning To Be a Chef: Introduction to Culinary Arts," youth cooking class he instructed in conjunction with Kids U, a UT Professional and Personal Development program.

His deep, commanding voice captivated the students and me. It was obvious he had a passion for sharing his love of the culinary arts.

Following that class Antun mentioned his plans to create a culinary institute at UT where anyone with a high school diploma or GED could attend a 10-month certification program in food preparation. He created a similar program while teaching at the University of South Carolina, Columbia.

In October 2007 his vision became a reality.

But Antun doesn't sit and bask in his accomplishments. He achieves a goal, then creates a new one to focus on.

His latest achievement, one he also accomplished at USC, is the completion of a cookbook.

"The university wanted us to get our classes talking and thinking about diversity. I figure I'm in the food business, what better way to show different cultures than through food," Antun said.

The result of that discussion is "Multicultural Cookbook," a publication that includes more than 100 recipes from his college students.

He assigned his class the task of speaking with their parents and grandparents to find out what their cultural background was, and to come back with a recipe representing that culture, along with a brief essay explaining how the recipe reflects the culture.

He compiled that information into the cookbook, which was printed from grant money Antun received from UT's Ready for the World Committee."

"The first thing they said was, 'I'm from Tennessee. We are Southern,' " Antun said.

He instructed them to look beyond the region they lived and explore their families' cultural heritage.

"When you see this book and read the recipes you will see that they go further back than just being from Tennessee. It forced them to think of themselves as being a family of immigrants," he said.

UT graduate assistant Sylvia Smith helped with the project.

The book's binding is simple, featuring a clear front and card stock backing. However its contents are substantial, with page after page documenting the student's culinary culture and traditions.

For instance Paulina Chafetz's essay, featured with her matzo ball soup recipe, includes memories of her grandmother who prepared the dish for Shabbat dinners.

"To this day I know this recipe by heart and I make it when I get a chance to go home and have Shabbat dinner with my family," she wrote.

Lindsey Joe, who submitted a recipe for Chinese whiskey soup, wrote that it's a traditional dish given to women who have just given birth because "the soup is thought to nourish the mother's body."

Then there's Thomas Jackson's recipe for Sunday evening rib-eye steak (see below).

He wrote that every Sunday since he can remember this dish was served at his grandmother's house. Now Jackson uses it to his own advantage.

"When I want to impress a friend or a lady of choice with my cooking abilities this recipe is my proverbial 'ace in my back pocket,' " the essay reads.

Antun said there are many poignant stories in this book.

"I never ever get these projects in where at least one story doesn't bring up a tear at some point. It's touching to read the family stories like Grandpa is dead but he lives on through his macaroni and cheese. That's how food affects our lives," he said.

Sunday evening rib-eye steak

4 (16-ounce) rib-eye steaks

4 tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning

4 tablespoons seasoned salt

4 tablespoons McCormick's spicy steak seasoning

1 (12-ounce) bottle Allegro hickory smoke marinade

Place steaks in pan. Apply 2 tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning, 2 tablespoons seasoned salt and 2 tablespoons McCormick's spicy steak seasoning. Poke small holes into steaks to infuse meat with seasoning. Pour half bottle of marinade into pan over top of steaks. Flip steaks and repeat procedure. Place in refrigerator and flip steaks every 30 minutes for 2 hours. Prepare charcoal grill to a temperature of 300 degrees. Place steaks on grill and pour excess marinade onto steaks. Rotate as needed until inside is 140-150 degrees (medium). Check center of steak using knife and fork. Serve immediately.

Source: "Multicultural Cookbook."

Mary Constantine may be reached at 865-342-6428.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel
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