John Michael Antun

John Michael Antun, 67 died at home in Knoxville, Tennessee Monday, July 11, 2011 after battling pancreatic cancer for 6 months. He was an associate professor in the Department of Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Management in the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Professor Antun was recognized as one of the foremost teachers, researchers and visionaries of culinary arts and restaurant management education in the world. He was one of only four professionals in the world holding both the Ph.D. and the distinguished Certified Executive Chef (CEC) designation from the American Culinary Federation. John Antun was born June 7, 1944 to the late Frank and Violet Antun in Jamacia, New York. He earned his B.S. in education from Saint John’s University in Jamacia, NY in 1967 and was a high school teacher in distributive education in the Lawrence Public School System in Cedarhurst, NY from 1968 to 1973 where he was named the NY State DECA Teacher of Year. He left teaching and from 1973 to 1995 he started, owned and operated eight successful hospitality and food service businesses including the widely popular restaurant Antun’s of Westchester in Elmsford, NY. In 1992 he was elected CEO and Chairman of the Board of the New York State Restaurant Association representing all restaurants in the State of New York. Upon selling his businesses and retiring in 1995, Antun returned to his dream to teach. He returned to school and completed his masters degree in 1997, and doctoral degree (Ph.D.) in 1999 at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC. From 1999 to 2004 he served as clinical assistant professor teaching restaurant management and culinary arts courses in the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management. In 2000, he was the founding director of the Carolina Culinary Institute at the McCutchen House at the University of South Carolina offering professional culinary arts classes to aspiring cooks and chefs. In 2004 he was appointed assistant professor at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in the Department of Retail, Hospitality and Tourism Management in the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences where he was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2010. In 2007 he was the Founding Director of the successful Culinary Institute at the University of Tennessee and designed the first curriculum in culinary arts for students in four-year, two-year, and professional chef certification programs. The culinary arts course curricula he designed and taught as the Founding Director two Culinary Institutes at major universities are now used worldwide as models of excellence in designing similar programs. Professor Antun’s extraordinary visionary and leadership qualities were lauded by fellow educators and researchers in restaurant management and culinary arts around the world. In 2000 he was recognized by his peers and fellow professors in the International Council of Restaurant and Institutional Educators with the highest chef – educator award in the world - the Chef Herman Breithaupt award. In 2002 he was awarded International Food Service Educator of the Year by the International Food Service Educators Network. He was named the 2009 Hospitality Teacher of the Year by the Tennessee Hospitality Association, and won numerous outstanding teacher awards and honors at both the college and department levels. A dedicated researcher in restaurant management and culinary education, Antun co-authored and contributed to four leading foodservice and culinary education textbooks, completed 24 academic journal articles, and numerous international conference proceedings and presentations. In 2008 he was the Founding Co-Editor of the successful international research journal titled The International Journal of Culinary Science and Technology. He was successful at gaining over $2.5 million in grants in the culinary arts education, with the latest starting the Knoxville Empowerment Zone Culinary Arts training program in Knoxville teaching unemployed persons professional chef skills for lifelong careers. He guided and served on numerous graduate student committees of those earning masters and doctoral degrees. In 2002 he was elected by his faculty peers across the southeast U.S. as President of the Southeast Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education where he guided tremendous growth in the group’s membership and research conferences. Professor Antun was not only an eminent scholar and researcher, he was also an extraordinarily gifted teacher, mentor and life coach full of inspiration and passion that guided many students in their careers. He was one of the few professors in his field that had both real-world hospitality business experience and Ph.D. academic training, in which he creatively used in his classroom lectures to bridge the gap between textbook concepts and real-world applications. He took a tremendous amount of pride in teaching and nurturing students, and one time he boldly offered a class of students his personal guarantee that they would all be successful in their careers under his direction, upon which the class made chef neckerchiefs embroidered with the words “The Antun Guarantee” for each student upon graduation. He was passionate about making a difference in the lives of his students and enjoyed following their progress and accomplishments. Years after students completed Antun’s classes and graduated, they would seek his advice in their professional careers and personal lives where he would serve unselfishly inspiring, motivating and guiding them. He held many professional degrees and professional certifications including the masters (M.S.) and doctoral degrees (Ph.D.) from the University of South Carolina, Certified Executive Chef (CEC) and Certified Culinary Educator (CCE) from the American Culinary Federation, Certified Food Management Professional (FMP) and Certified Trainer for ServSafe Food Safety Training from the National Restaurant Association, and the Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) from the American Hotel & Lodging Association. As a colleague and faculty member, Professor Antun’s leadership, passion and dedication for his teaching and research was widely known among his fellow hospitality educators. His lectures and discussions were marked by intelligence, passion, clarity, critical thinking, and his wonderful sense of humor. Fellow faculty members remember one of his favorite sayings that reflected his enormous passion for life and his profession as “Nobody ever did anything big, by thinking small.” He is survived by his wife Lola, two daughters Cristin Mallinder (husband Kenan) of Robbinsville, NJ and Elizabeth Maxon (husband Scott) of North Bellmore, NY, and granddaughter Caroline Maxon, sister Carole of Tryon, NC and brother Frank of Jensen Beach, FL. Memorial Donations may be made to the Dr. John M. Antun Scholarship Fund, c/o University of Tennessee, Room 110 Jessie Harris Bld., 1215 West Cumber Ave, Knoxville, TN 37996-1911. Please add in memo line for Dr. John M. Antun Scholarship Fund. There will also be several opportunities to pay your respect to John’s family and friends. On July 14, a receiving of friends and a viewing will be held at Rose Mortuary, 6200 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919, from 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM, and from 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM. On July 15 there will be a service and mass to celebrate the life of Dr. John Antun at 3:00 p.m. at John XXIII University Parish and Catholic Center, located on the University of Tennessee campus at 1710 Melrose Place, Knoxville, TN 37996. There will also be a viewing from 2:00 PM – 3:00PM. For more information, contact Steve Morse at (865) 850-9310 or Email smorse@utk.edu

Tributes

John Michael Antun

June 7, 1944 - July 11, 2011