Any speech writers on CHUD?

Anecdotes and cool quotes are your friend. Opening line: "Everybody eats."

Or just copy the food critic's review from the end of Ratatouille.

Here's my guide to giving any speech, anywhere, on nearly any topic:

First, consider your audience. This is a graduation speech, so remember that everyone's feeling good and no one cares about your advice. Your audience wants a verbal handjob: it's your job to give it to them!

Next, think up a theme, then come up with three supporting points. Structure your speech thusly:

A. Intro. Who are you and why should anyone care what you have to say? If you can work an amusing or bonding story into your intro, so much the better; but avoid anything racy or potentially offensive. You don't want your audience thinking about what their Aunt Mabels are thinking about you.

B. State your theme.

C. Point 1.

D. Point 2.

D. Point 3.

F. Summation.

Here's an example:

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, thank you, Dr. Hrfnfrtr, for that kind introduction, and congratulations to the entire class of 2008! (Note: in this case, Dr. Hrfnfrtr delivered your "credibility paragraph" for you.)

Today is a day to be proud. Proud of our parents [gesture to kids in crowd]. Proud of our children [gesture to old people]. Proud of ourselves [two-handed gesture to graduates]. For today, we've come together to celebrate dreams, discipline, and achievement. These are no small things, and they are worthy of pride.

Dreams brought us here. Each and every one of us dreamed of attending this school, of steeping ourselves in the culinary arts. And we followed those dreams, overcoming those obstacles that stood between us and admission and making it to that very first day (Where funny thing x happened to audience member y. If it's about the speaker, make it self-deprecating.).

Discipline kept us here. On those beautiful sunny days, we sweated in the kitchen. On those cool autumn evenings, we studied in our rooms. We knew that achievement requires sacrifice, and we put in the work that our dreams demanded.

Dreams and discipline equal achievement, ladies and gentlemen, and that's why we're here today, proud of our achievements and excited about the challenges to come. We thank our families [gesture], we thank our teachers, [gesture], and we thank our friends [you guessed it - two handed gesture. today, you're everyone's friend]. We are the McDonald's University class of 2008, and we are proud of you!

===
That's it. 3-5 minutes, and you're out of there. Have fun, and don't puke.

Just tell em to never forget the sunscreen. While they're momentarily confused, you can escape, cackling like mad as you disappear behind the horizon.

I agree that you should keep it upbeat and jovial, but there might also be some folks who are afraid of what their future will bring. So you should take a few seconds to offer some encouraging words. I remember these words were spoken at my college graduation and they have always stayed with me:

"Just when you think there's no one around who's caring, along comes a friend who offers a hand in sharing, and things start looking fine. Sometimes tears and sorrow are all the things you've got, and just when you think you're all by yourself you're not."

I love this speech. I am going to give it every day.

Adapt the following to suit any occasion!

[POUND YOUR FISTS ON THE PODIUM- AT THE BEGINNING, AND WHEREVER NOTED BELOW]

Blood alone moves the wheels of history! Have you ever asked yourselves in an hour of meditation which everyone finds during the day, how long we have been striving for greatness? (Slam!) Not only the years we've been at war, the war of work. But from the moment as a child when we realized that the world could be conquered. It has been a lifetime struggle (Slam!), a never-ending fight, I say to you (Slam!), and you will understand that it is a privilege to fight! We are warriors!! Rise and be worthy of this historical hour!

No revolution is worth anything unless it can defend (Slam!) itself!

Some people will tell you "chef" is a bad word. They'll conjure up images of snooty food mongers. This is our duty to change their perception. I say, chefs of the world, unite! We must never acquiesce, for it is together, together that we prevail! We must never cede control of the motherland for it is together that we prevail!

Give the speech naked, just like in your dreams.

Follow Frank's form. Read aloud while editing. Handjob.

I'm having trouble visualizing the "two-handed" gesture.

Reaching out, like an embrace. It's an especially effective gesture if you're naked, as Adam, suggests.

Regarding the speech, Obi could just go with the Churchill classic:

Never give up. Never, never give up. Never, never, never give up.

"Ben Franklin once said, 'Eat to live, don't live to eat.' Eh?"

I think you should just take some speeches from Deadwood or The Wire and subtly introduce chef-like elements into them.

So you are saying pretend you're chef Ramsay and curse everyone out in the audience like an angry marine?
I can see that.... Hell I want to be in that audience.

The layout Frank did is good and will serve anyone well. Though 4-5 minutes is actually a pretty short speech, so I'd only do one point or at most two.
I'd pick a personal story or anecdote that illustrates the first or second point you said was important (I would think the first point would work better for a story). Then bookend it with the rah rah rah we're done and congratualtions stuff.

So it would look like this:
Have a 1 min opening congrats/ handjob
have a 2-3 min story talking about an example you did or witnessed that exemplifies the chefs "critical" ability to be adaptable or redefine themselves
Close 1 min congrats again blah blah blah

When you have the main body written, practice several times (ideally in front of friends or people you trust) to ensure you're not speaking to quickly (or with a monotone), you're filling your timeslot but not going over by more than 30 seconds, and that your comfortable reading it and can bring enthusiasm out when you speak.

Good luck

I can't believe I forgot to mention humor, the more you can put in the better engaged your audience will be.