2007 American Culinary Federation Jr. Team Culinary Competition

They say if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Three five-member teams from the Balsams Grand Hotel & Resort, Southern New Hampshire University and the Atlantic Culinary Academy at McIntosh College gathered for the state round of the 2007 American Culinary Federation Jr. Team Culinary Competition. These chefs-in-training showed they could certainly stand the heat - literally and figuratively.

They were vying for a trip to a regional culinary competition this spring in Pittsburg, and hopefully a spot in this summer’s national competition in Orlando. At the end of the day, Atlantic Culinary wound up coming in third and our wonderful team from the Balsam, namely, Stephanie Jones, Donald Mygan, Steve Cushman, Arthur Lewis and Gilbert Moothart came in second, the team from Southern New Hampshire University came out on top. It is truly wonderful to see how much passion these kids have for preparing and creating these dishes, and how well they work together.

The competition was split up into three phases: 30 minutes for food preparation, 90 minutes to cook and serve, and another 30 minutes for cleanup. The 90 minutes includes time to “plate” the food or have dishes completely garnished and ready to serve. Two judges experienced in the culinary arts kept time and tasted each dish as it was brought out. Students were judged on cleanliness, appearance, taste, and even how they entered and exited the kitchen. The competition also consisted of a skills test, in which teams had to slice vegetables, bone fish and cut chicken the proper way. During the competition each team had to prepare a four course meal: a fish appetizer, a salad, the main course and the dessert. They were allowed to vary on every dish but the main course; each team had to make Supreme de Volaillo a l’Ecarlate, a boneless chicken breast with bits of cow tongue. Winning was not the main thing, but rather what students gained through the process mattered most. Whenever you compete you work hard and pour your heart out, but it’s a learning experience. You compete to get better at your skill or your craft. Congratulations to all for a job well done.

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