Skidmore chefs achieve a rare repeat: a second gold medal
Skidmore's team in pre-competition training. (Photo by
Kim Bombard)
It could have been the appetizer—Saratoga Lager-battered wild blue catfish—or possibly the dessert—flourless chocolate cake with a walnut crust. In the end, it was great food, beautifully prepared, with points for originality, taste, and presentation. The combination led to a gold medal — Skidmore’s second in two years — at the fourth annual ACF-sanctioned culinary conference and competition, which took place Jan. 7-9 in Murray-Aikins Dining Hall.
Of the eight teams competing, two received gold: Skidmore and the Country Club of Chestnut Hill, Mass. Silver medals went to St. Lawrence University, Ithaca College, University at Albany, Cornell University, and the Stonebridge Restaurant of Milford, Conn. Marist College won a bronze.
Skidmore’s team consisted of Frank Esposito, production manager; Paul Karlson, senior cook; Kyleigh Lanzone, assistant catering supervisor; and Tim Desmond, cook. Esposito and Karlson were also on the team that won the top prize at the 2014 event.
Lead Judge Fritz Sonnenschmidt told the participating chefs that he was “very impressed with this year’s competition. I think you all showed passion. “
The competition is a chance for institutional chefs to develop new skills and enhance their repertoire of recipes during a slower time of the year. Participants can strengthen their professional skills through seminars, culinary demonstrations featuring unique trends and techniques, tastings, networking, and the culinary competition.
Mark Miller, director of Skidmore’s Dining Services, said, “We are always trying to increase the culinary exposure of Skidmore College. Probably one of the greatest compliments I received was from one of the judges, who asked, ‘Is Skidmore a four-year culinary school, or a two-year culinary school? Do you have a hotel attached to the college for additional training?’ He was amazed when I explained that we are a liberal arts college with no academic culinary program for our students.”
Miller continued, “Everyone did a magnificent job. It is a lot of work to prepare for this event—the chefs train, the dining hall is cleaned from top to bottom—a lot of members of the College community contributed to making us look good. It is worth every bit of that work for us to host and achieve such a high mark.” He said it is especially gratifying to get such positive feedback from the participants and guests on campus during the three-day event. “People are just blown away by all that they experience,” said Miller.
