
I Still remember , a few
years ago…… five or six of age… that unbelievable excitement, waiting
freshly washed dressed in best gown for that once in a year repeating wanted
noise of harsh cracking booths, ruff voice “ HO HO HO “ and door knock…yes that
nerve breaking arrival of Santa Claus.
Santa is here ….. screaming
out every body cell ….excitement just to see him, excitement been beaten with
the wooden whip or presented…… excitement just like a visual cloud filled the whole house.
Christmas stays in my
memories fresh like just a few days ago, even now 63 years later.
Excitement like that day
Jesus Christ was born.
Wishing
you a Merry Christmas
With excitement, pleasant surprises and a prosper 2013
Jochen & Dolly

Dear Friends
Thanks God love comes once the year and not once a life time ***********
********** Christmas
open hearts, makes understanding each other, inspire deepest feelings, pass
warmed & trust,
infuse love in memories of childhood by just seen children, remember and been
remembered how we are and how we gain satisfaction able living in fun and
peace.
We all here from the
Culinary Centre of Malaysia
wishing you
A Merry
Christmas and Outstanding, Healthy and Happy New Year 2012

Kuala Lumpur and Cordon Noir treats as well
A year gone and here is again, in fastest swing that Christmas which each year make me count..yes my age also, you right.
And I am happy about that not sad, not thinking about time left, just thinking about time past...great time, fantastic to remember, all you friends, all the fun and all the satisfaction enjoyed...yes happy to remember each of you who made this happened, keeping me a happy man and my wife to. Passing that beautiful 20 anniversary of cordon noir with friends from all over the globe , passing our 34 wedding anniversary and so passing my 59th birthday. super!
To thing only 59 more makes no sense but that beautiful 59 passed, does.
Work challenges keeping life interesting and when each past successful, richening that pride in me, giving confidence and show me how wonderful life is by increasing that love to cooking. Ample friends passing a way , yes normal but when I close my eyes still can feel and see them so closed in my memoir that even the smell of that beautiful moment stay real. Enemy barricades coming down with time and feelings smoothen. Great to get older and been able seen things with different eyes , with different mental views just come and satisfied.
Yes , sensibility increases which I can see by watching dramatic movies on TV and a teardrop slips out of my eye, never happened in the youth time...but actually nothing wrong with that , I thing now. Who can judge that any way.
I don't care.
When I see Dolly aging and we two smile taking the elevator having problems try seen clearly that button number to press or I stay with Alan in our Lobby finding a normal christstollen in that Christmas goodie register (which is like always to small printed) yes then I know that I not any more 20 but also here we can smile with such a good life and now with the Chefs Competition Judge Invitations at hand to Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Bali and Penang also this coming year will be a great one which I really looking forward to.
We wish you all a Jolly Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2009.
We know that with our friendship the crises at this globe can not spoil Cordon Noirian New Year.

Dolly and Jochen

Your Jochen Kern
Founder of Cordon Noir

A Festival of Warmed!
Time Rush...no, it just seems to get faster since we getting slower? Well, so long we don't feel old we are still on the ball. Age is positive and respected by all and for sure come to all.
Last night I talked with my sister about my 92 year old mother, my sister complained and complained...I just answered here that in 20 years she would be the same. We are only human and should be happy with that!
May 2008 is CORDON NOIR Birthday " 20 Years " and still the club is fresh & youth. 20 years we enjoyed so much fun with Cordon Noir that it would be sad any body miss out our Anniversary Gathering in Malaysia. Please book now since I am not a professional Travel agent and the whole gathering is a innermost job showing you that hospitality and warmth of Cordon Noir will stay like over the past 2 centuries,
Thank you for that.
I wish you a great week, a great year end 2007 and a great journey to our
20 Cordon Noir Anniversary, see you at the 10th May 2008 in Penang, Malaysia

Your Jochen Kern
Founder of Cordon Noir
August 2007

Dear Friends
Again a year past in fastest matter, sometimes when I thing back it was so fast that I actually must be 150 years old not that actually youth of my 56.
I talk about my feeling only.
What a year, so many things run over my mind, so may things seen and enjoyed this past year here in India that even I am as a non thinker bee grateful to God who must be responsible, giving all that luck to me seen such a beautiful and magnificent things in my life, having so much fun at my work and so much enjoyment with my loved wife Dolly making my life really living worth. Maybe I am (don’t hope so) been the only grateful man in this world. Grateful for my life that feeling difficult makes listen to all that complains peoples telling me. I just think and advice to open there eyes able seen the minor refreshing beauty at all, beauty of enjoy we can see any day comparable back to childhood Christmas, I know. Beauty and respect of humanity (even seen that slaughter of that poor American boy in Iraq and all that other suffering from terrorisms) must stand , not giving up. Sounds hart but I still love human and believe in solution and respect to man kind. Please help me when you celebrate that coming Christmas, Ramadan, Dipavalli, Chinese New Year and all the other religious highlight festivals over the year in this world. We don’t just survive, we really live this life and I hope that you similar me (I am sure when here in India with my 20 apprentice) will enjoy that upcoming 2006 positive and in fun .
Wishing you a great and fantastic 2006

Mumbai, India December 2005
The annual Indian Mumbai Story from Jacky, the Wife of Heiner Werdeling ( my Boss ) fit very well with Information over the past year
Thanks Jacky and Friends have fun by reading our life here in India
Mumbai, India
Christmas 2005

Dear Friends and Family,
I thought twice about documenting our year again given “we’re still here”, however as the memories of 2005 are rekindled I believe there is still plenty to share about our Indian adventure: Year 2.
Inevitably, there has been a wave of new books predicting India’s current and future economic growth. Mostly written by off shore Indians, they seem to articulate with great clarity the issues facing Modern India. “Being Indian”, “The Growth of the Indian Call Centre” and our favourite and current international best seller “The Argumentative Indian” all provide fascinating insights to the Indian psyche including their penchant for a good debate (Did you know that the longest speech by a U.N. Representative was an Indian in 1956 with an address to the Parliament lasting 9 hours 56 minutes? Try sitting through that at the end of a long day. Maybe that’s why Heiner insists on having his Management meetings in the morning). I know from haggling away with the tailors the thrill of the fight when they get another 20 Rupee (40 US Cents) out of me, for what has been the 13th leather jacket negotiation! (I shudder when I read of child labour raids being routinely conducted for I have never been brave enough to peel back the curtain to see who’s really doing the stitching).
Reflecting on the year, it hasn’t been all bad. We’ve kept in good health, we’ve had a few trips out, and the hotel has out-performed its competitors meaning all is well in Delhi (residence of “The Owner”).
The main scare was of course the weeks following Terrible Tuesday (26th July), when the monsoons pelted their most intense rainfall in 100 years resulting in more than 2000 deaths, closure of both international and domestic airports and power and telephone shut downs to most areas of Mumbai for more than a week. 105 centimeters of rainfall fell in a day and 50 million litres of water lay trapped in our hotel which resulted in a very easy decision to “shut shop”. Buckets and mops in hand, aided by 1000 outsourced labourers, the hotel was drained, cleaned, polished and painted and after thousands of man-hours and a huge public relations campaign, was remarkably opened 3 weeks later. (Who could forget the public outcry to the Bombay Mayor once the phone lines returned, “You promised us Shanghai, yet delivered Venice” as the SMS text reached all mobile phones in the city!). Despite the pile up of death and destruction: abandoned cars, mounting hills of garbage and rotting carcasses of water buffalos and dogs, Mumbai survived as it always does. Within days of the devastation, the mechanics were rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of securing business resulting from the 200 000 abandoned and water logged cars (now minus their hub-caps). Cholera vaccinations were provided and slum dwellers who lost homes were relocated (where?). The pot-holed roads are still pot-holed but have been temporary filled until the Minster’s new “Pot Hole Task Force” completes a study on where the missing Rs Millions have gone which were allocated to fix the pot holes. It would seem pockets have been lined, not roads.
From a business point of view, India is really “Rocking”. The Hotel “rocks”, the figures “rock”, the nightclub “rocks” and this new buzz word has found it’s way even into the most simplest of conversations (To illustrate with the Hotel’s Spa Manager: “Man… Goa Rocks”, “Are they new Nikes? They really rock”, and after an hour on the treadmill “Wow, you were really rocking today!”). Grr..
My Indian-English vocabulary continues to expand, with some of the more notable additions: (1) Imperior, as in, “Sir, their service is Imperior to ours” (meaning opposite of Superior) (2) Prepone, as in, “The meeting has been preponed (meaning brought forward)…and (3) as I discovered today, the Managers here don’t “clock in” for work, they sign the “Muster Log” (whinnie, whinnie, ney, ney!).
We were both able to escape from Mumbai a bit more this year. Early on in the year, we had a very civilized break in two very civilized cities: London and Berlin. I had friends from the UK visit in September and flew with them to Jaipur, the “Pink City”, and endured the 6 hour bumpy car ride to Agra to see the Taj Mahal (still good 2nd time around, with totally new and contradictory stories from last year’s Guide!). Jaipur is amazing. Full of camels, elephants, water buffalo, human rickshaws and relatively peaceful after the “horn okay please” signs Mumbaikars delight in actioning. My visitors thought it was like “the place time forgot”. Recently, we also enjoyed a week in Langkawii… a week-long state of ‘oohing’ and ‘aahing’ as we reveled in cleanliness, beauty and thick lush canopy – I honestly think we were OD-ing on oxygen!
Mumbai’s daily life still offers plenty of surprises. I recall seeing a long queue along the roadside one particular trip to town. As our trip continued, the human queue doubled into two lanes. Thinking the people were queuing for a temple, I inquired as to the special festival. Kumar, our Driver didn’t know but suggested they might be queuing to determine their university exam results. Sounded like a feasible explanation until after a good 5 or so kilometers further we approached the front of the queue, only to see signs advertising auditions for “Indian Idol”! As in the international competition, each contestant has 60 seconds to perform: your chance to make it or break it ( … and don’t argue with the result). Throughout the following months, I cringed watching the whole spectrum of television performances – mostly cool wannabes with gelled hair, standard trend-setter “sunnies” and tight jeans, crooning away in front of the panel of judges (who else but the glam bollywood brigade?) Perhaps not surprisingly, a good looking boy from the country won, who can now be seen on every available bill-board advertising “Idol’s” forthcoming season, and is soon to sign his first Bollywood movie. Dreams like his are the stuff Mumbai are made of. With 26 million children being born in India each year, there must be a lot of dreaming going on.
The front page of the Times of India carried a story today about outsourcing. It seems parents don’t even bat an eye-lid when they pay around 200 Rupees (USD 4) to outsource their child’s homework to a “professional”, such is the pressure to do well in school. “Of course I have to be careful not to do the project really well, in case the teacher knows it’s been outsourced” says the woman whose business card actually reads “For making school projects, homework and notes”! Apparently her business has flourished as thousands of Bombay parents believe this to be ‘normal’. On the subject of outsourcing, I did suggest at my one and only attendance at “Craft Group”, that they might want to consider outsourcing the (extremely labour intensive job of) making Christmas decorations for their Annual Craft Fair. Needless to say I wasn’t invited back.
I have found out some interesting statistics this week. I learnt today that the cows meandering on the roads die primarily due to consuming an excess of plastic, the (in)famous black Mumbai Crows die due to disease they acquire from the slums, and the average life expectancy of an expatriate here is 2 years. Anyone who lasts beyond that achieves automatic saint-hood in our book. Given Heiners’ 2 years concludes in January, I am delighted to conclude this Christmas Greeting not only with our love and well wishes for the coming year, but our address from 1st February 2006. Yes folks, it is goodbye India, hello UAE.
The Werdelings
C/- InterContinental Abu Dhabi
PO Box Abu Dhabi 4171
Abu Dhabi
Tel: 971 2 6666888
Fax: 971 2 6669153
Stay in touch and enjoy your Christmas break. We certainly will!

Christmas Greetings
A year rushed through like Santa’s sledge,
It gave me a lot but not all the best
The bell still rings from last year in my ear
And already the brand new sound of Santa’s bell is near.
Jochen Kern 2004
Four months, since we moved from Hong Kong to India.
It was not sure what to expect in this 20 million peoples populated, west coastal town, Mumbai .
Friends told us there personal view on Bombay
“ love it or hate it….” We love it.
A place which set us back 20 years (similar a Viagra pill) make us 35 again. It is only in feeling, I know, but through physical action it is real anyhow. That feeling is more then adrenalin by adventure it is the wholesome feeling been a useful part of the human society.
Special this time of the year when enemies and friends are even and love grow to the prior thoughts.
Dolly searching again, after years, exited and in that full living spirit after old antic furniture and I myself train again cooking of basic products which in commercial cities replaced with ready at shelf food like making mozzarella cheese, smoked salmon or chutneys.
Great fun when aged guaranty truly counts and that bring back the move to sporting youth. No matter work is 14 hours when fun and love fall together with a good life affordable like here in Mumbai. How nice and interesting life can be.
We wishing you that fun and love at any place you are
for this coming happy
Christmas and New Year 2005.
Jochen & Dolly Kern

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2004, promises coming through.
A year with a stubborn but professional boss up to September and then starts that new life.
India, we just arrived at Mumbai the western, 19 million populated city of the bollywoods and the financial highlight of India.
Interesting, with a lot of import food-short coming which gives me that drive to appreciated creativity.
Complied different compare Hong Kong where everything is possible and only little appreciated, bleached by competition. Actually sad but if you life there for the past decade, like my boss you maybe also don’t won't to see or been blinded about your product have aged and limitation are given.
Anyhow I enjoyed the time in Hong Kong, my Hong Kong colleagues and friends, not so much the leadership with that bondage on creativity. That never appreciation or praise and creativity crippling through permissions delete and non ownership permitted till passion loose by the creator. A motivation cutting egoistic GM, my friend.
Luckily Great time with Cordon Noir, chefs association and the fiends previous known from the chefs scene.
September finally change. After two years to the great freedom of cooking, to fun again, perfect for me (dreaming 10 years about working in India) . September 2004 start at Intercontinental The Grand Mumbai hotel under the leadership of my friend Cordon Noirian GM and Vice President Heiner Werdeling.
Arrival at Mumbai international airport, Sahar begins a new episode of our life. Not surprised by slams, village style city buildings or traffic chaos but surprise by the friendly and welcoming staff of this beautiful hotel who just looking forward to leadership and new training and creations. Appreciated by warm management and guests. All this made my aged feelings already 20 years younger…..fresh and appreciated.
Great.
I keep you posted when the first cordon noir dinner will be done in Mumbai and for sure you will be exited about that and join my great Indian Cordon Noir sometime next year. Wishing you all the best and that exiting challenge needed to make life useful and fun.
Please don’t hesitate visiting me at my new home the InterContinental The Grand Mumbai , take a short blins at http://www.intercontinental.com
your

October 2004

2003 was a year with disaster for many,
SARS, economic turmoil and terrorists made change thinking . It
changes from long-term setting of the everlasting future to a
shorter survival, tomorrow only.
For what a insurance if there is not much
prospect to survive, special for me. This is not a healthy
thinking, I know, since my wife and I are childless and above 50
years old, there is not so much sense in preparing fore something
new. Better stay at that used style, but decreasing-term
thinking.
Funny actually since the whole life
planed a head and now we just change to a tomorrow next months or
maximum next year vision.
It is if the meaning of life looses out,
evolution for my own body to the dead which is naturally but
never seen so many times in my brain advance.
Maybe only my age?
Well I don’t know but for sure the
hope that my lucky life goes on stays, with that friends help
extending a vision of success. A happy togetherness with wife and
world keeps up the most importance and desire to enjoy that
challenging life drive.
It is a little like sex, when the first
time it gave me that "wow" and now after known that,
other excitements crystallizing in dreams of been even better,
new horizons to satisfaction, giving new positions.
Last night I was at that Rolling Stones
concert here in Hong Kong and you may feel funny when you see
this my age peoples falling in trance of youth by just
remembering (true listening rock and roll) the past youth
excitement of human spring.
It would be great if this memory play
would be possible by any mental down and drug you and me up to
that youthful full spirit.
I try with Cordon Noir and my love for
Cooking to do right that and known it will work, if with any.
So if you have next time a down just use
what ever it take in your favorable memory and trawl the down a
way, maybe with a little "Cordon Noir" helps.
Happy days or better spoken happy life.

Hong Kong November 2003

Article my personal
Comments to SARS
This
article was deleted after very personal comments from Members
with reason on the article as been in Non Cordon Noirian View.



never believed possible, business cut in
Hong Kong's hotel industry make many hotels look like ghost
hotels



don't give up
|
|
It is not a matter you believe in God or not, it is a matter that you are human.You are , I believe!If you seen 911 or the horrible
bombing just happen in Bali don't blame God blame the
God-less For me it is not possible to put excuse for action like the killing of innocent peoples for religious, races, capitalistic or revenge reasons . Is there no learning from history of our human ancestor, no change, is devolution going back to animalistic? I am a free thinker but seen all this horror I love to believe in God and maybe he would give a solution. God Bless all of you who wounded in mind and body and stay with God never giving up believing. Jochen Kern Hong Kong October 2002 -------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
| Dear Cordon Noirian and Friends! The new Millennium is not only a change of
time, a change to the second 50 years For Cordon Noir it will be an approach of finding a way on togetherness in making fun and mental communication ever lasting. You think >EVER< is a exaggerate word. I don't think so… Life is
countable…many lives are multiply able and so long
we believe on future there will be a future generation
who believes and need fun and friendship through
enjoyment, even it is me in my next life, which I am sure
have. I will never stop The first step for our side of Cordon Noir will be the cancellation of our News letter . Now after implementing the Web page http://cordonnoir.com one year already you had efficient time to practice the computer handling which is today a part of our privat and working live any how. It is a waste of money and financial from my side not possible to keep, without changing roles to membership fee - which I am not willing to do. Fun should not be dictated by finance! The electronic news letter is much faster, more illustrative and non stop changeable - up to date. I offer Web pages on news, know how, culture, fun, live, jobs, links, events, travel, souvenirs, roles and regulation, cordon noir hotels, new members, member addresses, a Chat room, and and and… No limitations are given and that with sound and movements, all sides in color and so on. This Web site safes annual Newsletter cost of $ 6000.00, that fact alone will give you the explanation for my doing. I believe it is a good start in the Millennium to cut waste in paper, personal and global. Any contact you may like just email or chat on our site. For That New Millennium don't miss serving to be up to date with Cordon Noir |
|
Singapore
December 1999 |
|
Word from the founder… We are a decade old! The 7 January 1988 was the birth
date of Cordon Noir. For the Cordon Noirian, it was
memorable date. It was also the day when Hanne
Abele joined her husband, Dieter, Vice Chairman, Cordon
Noir. This year will be our great
anniversary extravaganza in Beijing from 14 to 17 August
1998. So firm-up your bookings now with Thomas
Kassemak in Germany who has drawn up special packages
inclusive of transportation and optional sightseeing
tours of China. Alternatively, you can booked
through me. Economic and currency turmoil, it
seemed to longer on and has negative impact on the Asian
business circle. However, it is going tougher.
Things are changing rapidly where companies or
organisations streamlined or ceased their operations so
not to further incur losses. No one is safe from
the reality hat we are all in a “battlefield”
where the fittest survive and not recommended for the
weak. There is no guarantee even for myself that
maybe the only solution is to be economic with the
spending of our money. But is money all that
matters? Lift up the spirit and manifold
(flexibility). Cordon Noirian spirit is to be
self-assured and that we are not useless in spite the
predicament. So the continuance of your own
personality as it gives you the power to stay above the
losers. Luck does not matter when you lose
your job. But the bottom line is that your company
is only trying surviving and giving you an income. Yes!
Harsh times ahead of us. More importantly is to
believe in oneself that we are capable of handling tough
times. It is during such trying period that many
innovative and creative ways surfaced. At the end
of it, we will discover our very own strength and
personality and be able to challenge or manage difficult
circumstances. So get up and join us in Beijing for the fun with friends, enjoy the hospitality, culture, and experience a new horizon. Your personal encounter with the people of Beijing, perhaps after all helps us to realised that happiness still strive in them in spite the frugal lifestyle. Does this not demonstrate that money is not everything? The revitalising effect of this magnitude not only draws us out from the sadness but also gives us the happiness. What more? The Cordon Noirian experience (like at the Induction) gave us an authentic moment for comparison with a vision come true. A delightful saying from a Latin friend: “Per aspera at astra” -through the stones to the stars- >>>to enjoy or realised success you need tuff compares<<< Thank you Cordon Noirian and See You in Beijing! Jochen Kern Singapore summer 1998 |
|
THE WORD FROM THE FOUNDER The Importance of Believing! I believe that every human being is good, having something good inside, is form-able to be good and I believe, believe and believe. Call me a dreamer or a blinded person; I do not think so. Maybe I am too open and believe that different people can be judged equally and actually are nearly the same, the same special being, but with that little or big personality difference. And now after 49 years, the past
Russian experience has changed my mind! Maybe not
all human being has this little bit of “good”
inside, maybe the alcohol consumed daily by this Russian
changed the human into a drunken monster, without control
over himself and worst, without that very important part
– feelings. People without feelings have shown
me the dangerous animal instinct, not controllable and
not able to see or justify good or bad. What was
the reason causing this young man in South Russia such
uncontrollable behaviour, forgotten humanity? How
come we are so shaky in our mind; how come I am so
trustful of human? It must be the previous good
experience. Till now, it was only good or
well-spoken human in good condition that built my trust.
Experience with friends from the entire world and in my
mother’s words believing – you will be treated
like you behave – was surely till this summer my
guideline, openness and trust! But now a third
factor has come into my life, a second kind of human,
which for sure existed the whole time, only not in my
life! Luckily, not known before, otherwise Cordon
Noir would not be possible. A club like Cordon Noir
is only possible as it is built by trust on human. This
TRUST hopefully is returned by all the members of this
super community as shown at this year participation in
China! I believe…. Cordon Noirian are people able to
build a world and be trusted, friends helpful to each
other and respected plus respect giving individuals.
I wish and pray from the deepest corner of my heart that
I am right! Wishing you a very happy New
Year 1999. Jochen Kern |
|
THE WORD FROM THE FOUNDER A friend came to visit
me… Thanks for flowering my life. How nice if somebody else thinks
warm about you and even visits you. Yes I know he was not a person from
my family and not a business type or enemy, I mean
somebody who actually thinks of you warmly – not
meaning lovely – but actually yes, really visiting
you and rekindling those nostalgic memories of friendship
and to catch up for “old times sake”. Feeling
the warmth of others is the most important thing we need
as human beings today since we live in a stressful
society… so receiving the warmth of others makes you
feel protected, secure and aglow that you are not alone
in this world. The same thing goes for a Cordon
Noir event. What makes it special and well
remembered? The success of Cordon Noir depends
on its “Surroundings” and here, I don’t
mean infrastructures, plates, furniture and so on. Importantly,
it’s the company and people hat brings about the
good feelings of the events held. You wonder why I write this or what
I am trying to explain? The circle of life is only
possible with the ups and downs of life. Ups are
for sure the pleasant moments of life and the down
moments are part and parcel of everyone’s life
journey. We do need the ups and downs in life to
recognize the fact that life is not just a bed of roses,
the downs will enable us to live life more meaningfully,
to experience and appreciate what we have and to take
each moment of life as graciously as possible.
|