Dining Services team earns bronze in culinary competition

Four members of the Skidmore Dining Services staff recently competed in the 15 ^th Annual Tastes of the World Chef Culinary Conference and won a bronze medal for their efforts. Mark Miller, production manager for Dining Services, led the other three members: Robin Hozley, a baker, and Stuart Schwartz and Kelly Zimmerman, both cooks, at the week-long competition, hosted by U-Mass Amherst.

The conference attracted 150 chefs from all over the country. The program included workshops hosted by world-renowned chefs, as well as the feature of the week: the Mystery Box. After being presented with specific ingredients, each team had 45 minutes to develop recipes for an entr e, an appetizer, a dessert, and a buffet menu. They had to include the following: striped bass, short ribs, sirloin, strawberries, nectarines, rhubarb, vegetable stock, yellow beets, asparagus, risotto, and shrimp. The theme was "World Street Food with Local Flavor," important to remember when they were brainstorming.

Within the time allotted, the self-titled "rookie crew" came up with a menu that featured braised short ribs with Asian slaw, seared striped bass with jumbo shrimp, yellow beet risotto, and blackened asparagus, with strawberry mousse for dessert. The entr e for 12 consisted of braised beef with Japanese eggplant. On top of using their current menu for inspiration during the competition, some of the items off the menu they have created are being incorporated into Skidmore's meal plan. Currently, the menu has a pho noodle bowl, which is Chinese and Japanese inspired. On the meal plan for the fall is strawberry mousse.

Zimmerman said she was thrilled to be a part of something bigger than herself. She said the competition experience was something that a person could "never go to school and learn. All the hands-on experience was priceless." Every time she deals with fish at the D-hall, it is already filleted. But for the competition, she had to fillet a full striped bass that still had its tail and head. She said she stayed up for hours watching how to fillet a striped bass on YouTube, despite their 6 a.m. start time the next morning. Using their 45 minutes worth of prepared recipes, the crew had just two hours to create the appetizer, entr e, and dessert, and one hour for the buffet entr e.

Every competition presents some challenges. None of the chefs was allowed to use refrigeration or an oven. Each group was limited to four stove burners and they had to include every ingredient in the Mystery Box. Each team member mentioned that they were only a half point away from the silver medal, so easily lost by not removing the seed from a lemon. Nevertheless, the bronze medal speaks for thesuccess that the team accomplished. They received a high score in the kitchen for communication, sanitation, and teamwork. Miller said, "The medal is a great reward and is representative of the talent of the Skidmore Dining Hall." They received compliments on the mousse with berry rhubarb sauce, since they were able to pull it off without the refrigeration.

Hozley, who has been at the dining hall for 12 years, believes it was quite an honor to be involved. Chef Roland Mesnier, pastry chef for the White House in 1979, who won 20 gold medals in pastry competitions, was one of the judges. Chef Noble Masi, certified executive pastry chef, certified master baker, and certified hospitality educator, taught a pastry course and was also a judge. Hozleyalso noted that she enjoyed being able to focus on making one dish, whereas in the dining hall all the food is mass produced. The chance to focus on detail during crunch time can help refine skills for when it is time to make a meal for a large group of people, three times a day, seven days a week. Schwartz said he was impressed with the knowledge he gained from the experience, whether it was chopping and cutting, or following the guidance of Miller, whom Schwartz said was "a great leader." He also said that one of the floor judges from the competition who works at Schenectady County Community College has invited the team to participate in his competition.

Summer at the D-hall involves feeding up to 1,000 people each day. All the campers and summer students have given the food a good review. With food being the center of any college campus, these four members of the Dining Hall staff have put themselves on the map, demonstrating to the campus and the larger world their willingness to maintain a high-quality dining experience for all who eat at Murray-Aikins Dining Hall. ~ By Kimberly Shorb, intern, Office of Communications