Bon appetit! Chefs battle it out on campus
Nilofer Hussain, Staff Writer
April 12, 2012
Filed under News & Features, Top Stories
Le Moyne College and Sodexo hosted an event known as “Battle of the Chefs,” wherein two teams faced off to make an appetizer and main entree using secret ingredients in the dining hall on March 27 at 5 p.m.
Teams were judged by Le Moyne president Fred Pestello; Roger Stackpoole, vice president for Finance and Administration; Deb Cady Melzer, vice president for Student Development; and Dennis DePerro, vice president for Enrollment Management.
“I decided to join Battle of the Chefs because I love to cook,” said junior Liliana Reynoso. “My mom taught me how to cook when I was 11 years old, so that has always been a part of me.”
All team members received chef gear, including chef hats and coats, and the winners were given $25 gift cards.
This year, the competing teams were called “What’s Cooking, Good Looking?” and “Culinary Queens (and Justin!).”
“Culinary Queens” was composed of Katherine Alberts, Krystal Ashey, Nilofer Hussain and Justin Bachus, while “What’s Cooking?” included Isis Thompson, Liliana Reynoso, Estor Reynoso and Roberto Castro.
This cooking competition included numerous ingredients, which both teams saw before the clock started; however, for both the appetizer and entree, there were also secret ingredients chosen by chef Drew D’Angelo — frog legs and lamb ribs, respectively — that the teams saw only a few minutes right before the competition began.
“My least favorite part was being timed! I don’t do well under pressure,” said sophomore Krystal Ashey. “And there were too many people standing around us that it made me feel like we were being crowded.”
Only one team could reign victorious, though, and the winner of this year’s Battle of the Chefs was “What’s cooking, good looking.”
“I had the best team (What’s Cooking, Good Looking?) in the world and I have to thank the team in the caf for making it possible, and of course the opposing team was cool,” Reynoso said.
“My favorite part was working with others to accomplish something that came out so great,” added Ashey. “I’d definitely suggest participating in it next year. It was a lot of fun and it helps everyone work together.”
“This event was a success in other Sodexo accounts in our district so we thought we would give it a try here,” said Mike Kraebel, service manager. “Based on the response, we will be doing it again.”