MCC Student Named ‘Best Student’ Competitor at CT Chefs Event

MANCHESTER, CT – The work of one of Manchester Community College’s most experienced culinary students earned him the title “best overall student” competitor in a statewide exhibition earlier this month.

Joseph F. Mott, 20, of Manchester, in his sixth semester at MCC, won an individual bronze medal at the Connecticut Chefs Association’s 36th Annual Culinary Arts Exhibition held April 12 in Shelton, CT. His presentation of a cold seafood platter also caused the judges to name him the best student competitor at the statewide event.

Mott spent long hours planning, cooking and arranging a platter of salmon and scallops cooked and garnished in a number of different ways. His event was one of a variety of contests that measure students’ skill and knowledge of various cooking techniques in categories such as appetizers, entrees and desserts.

Mott is pursuing associate degrees in food service and culinary arts. He prepared his bronze-medal dish at MCC’s culinary lab on the college campus and at a local Italian restaurant where he has worked for more than three years. He presented his platter – and won his awards — at the Chefs Association exhibition held at the Lincoln Culinary Institute in Shelton. The annual event is sanctioned by the American Culinary Federation and judged by ACF-certified chefs from around the Northeast.

This was Mott’s second individual bronze medal at a Connecticut Chefs Association event. He won his first one last year at the same exhibition. Mott also helped the MCC Culinary Arts Competition Team win a bronze medal earlier this year at regional contest held by the American Culinary Federation in Hershey, PA. He is coached by MCC adjunct faculty member, Chef Marc Hussey.

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.

Additional information about the culinary arts programs at MCC can be obtained from Jayne Pearson, Chair of the MCC Hospitality Department, 860-512-2785
or jpearson@manchestercc.edu.