Top College and University Chefs from the Region to Compete in “Chopped”-style Competition
SARATOGA SPRINGS – Skidmore College will once again the seventh annual American Culinary Federation (ACF) Conference and Competition starting today through January 12. The conference will culminate in a “Chopped”-style contest featuring executive chefs from colleges and universities across the Northeast. The ACF-sanctioned competition will be held in Skidmore’s Murray-Aikins Dining Hall from 8 am – 1 pm on Friday, January 12. The public is welcome to attend as spectators for any part of the day, and admission is free.
This year’s contestants represent four states and 11 institutions: Cornell University, the University at Albany, Ithaca College, SUNY-Geneseo, SUNY-Cobleskill, SUNY-Cortland, Williams College, the University of Buffalo, University of Connecticut, University of Rochester and Skidmore College. The annual event is organized by Skidmore’s Dining Services to provide ongoing staff development and keep raising the standards of culinary excellence on campus, and to highlight Skidmore’s extraordinary dining program.
“The annual competition allows our staff an opportunity to enhance their knowledge, while also expanding their practical culinary skills,” says Mark Miller, director of Dining Services. “The conference provides seminars, demonstrations, tastings and networking opportunities for all participants. It’s important that our staff are actively learning and testing new recipes that can eventually be incorporated into Skidmore’s menus.”
The Skidmore dining staff has won gold medals each of the past four years of the ACF competition. Skidmore’s food service also regularly achieves high rankings nationally, including rating among the top in Best College Food in 2017 — second only to the Culinary Institute of America — by Niche.com. The ranking is based on meal plan costs and Skidmore’s student reviews.
The conference’s ACF Market Basket Competition requires each four-person team to prepare a four-course menu from the same array of ingredients presented to all participants. Each team has one hour to develop the menu using at least a portion of the ingredients, and then several hours to prepare and serve the dishes.
The judging panel consists of two certified master chefs, including the Capital Region’s own Dale Miller as lead judge; head judge Fritz Sonnenschmidt; certified executive chefs Michael Morgan, James G. Rhoads III, Walter S. Zuromski and Michael Stamets, and apprentice judge Alain V. DeCoster. They will judge the teams on originality, taste and presentation, and they may award or deduct additional points for timing, teamwork, utilization of food, skills, sanitation and overall preparation.
The event begins in the Murray-Aikins Dining Hall at 8 a.m. Friday, Jan. 12. The judging gets under way at 1 pm, and awards will be presented during a closing ceremony at 3 pm.
