MCC Culinary Team Earns Bronze Medal in American Culinary Federation Competition

Manchester, Conn. – (March 24, 2010) . . . A team of student chefs from Manchester Community College (MCC) has returned from Hershey, PA., with bronze medals earned during two days of competition at the American Culinary Federation’s Northeast Regional Conference.

Led by coach and adjunct faculty member, Chef Marc Hussey, the Manchester Community College team scored fourth highest in the field. Eight student teams from West Virginia to New Hampshire matched skills in three different events designed to test their culinary creativity and understanding of classical culinary techniques.

The competition took place March 13 and 14. It included tests of the student chefs’ knife skills, menu planning, hot food preparation and cold platter presentation. A team from the State University of New York at Delhi won the overall student competition.

The MCC student culinary team includes captain Marc Cutler of West Hartford, Patrick Sweeney of Vernon, Joseph Mott of Manchester, Austen Lindberg of South Windsor and Paul Stern of Ashford. The cook-off took place at the Pennsylvania School of Culinary Arts in Lancaster, PA., 30 miles from the ACF conference in Hershey.

The MCC team and other student competitors were judged by a panel of distinguished chefs led by head judge David Turcotte, team advisor of the U.S. Army Culinary Team and executive chef for the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon.

The MCC team’s hot food menu included a lamb entree, roasted pear salad, coconut mousse tartlet and a mandatory fish dish first prepared by the legendary Auguste Escoffier, one of the most influential figures in the development of modern French cuisine. The knife skills competition tested how quickly and accurately the student chefs could fabricate a chicken, filet a fish, prepare a quart of pastry cream and cut up a collection of vegetables according to exact specifications.

The MCC culinary arts programs combine classroom, laboratory and volume food experience for students working in two commercial production kitchens and three dining rooms. The students participate in a 300-hour externship in a cooperative education environment that pairs classroom theory with practical on-the-job training. The program is accredited by the American Culinary Federation.

The American Culinary Federation, Inc. is North America’s premier professional organization for culinarians and operates the most comprehensive certification program for chefs and culinary schools in the United States. For more information about the regional conference, visit:
http://www.acfchefs.org.

For more information about the culinary arts program at MCC, contact Jayne Pearson, 860-512-2785 or email jpearson@manchestercc.edu.

Students of any age who possess the desire to pursue higher education are welcome at Manchester Community College. MCC is proud of its academic excellence, new facilities, flexible schedules, small classes, low tuition and faculty with both academic and “real world” credentials. The College offers over 60 programs, transfer options, financial aid and scholarships, as well as access to baccalaureate degrees through guaranteed admissions programs with several universities. MCC is situated on a park-like campus and is easily accessible from I-84.