Culinary Arts Competition – The Perfect Pairing, Students and Instructors
The Culinary Institute of Virginia hosted another iteration of its “The Perfect Pairing” Student and Faculty Competition on Friday, July 29, 2016 at its Norfolk, Virginia campus. The competition was a mixture of the reality cooking shows The Taste and Chopped, with CIV Chef Instructors pairing with students in order to go head-to-head and create delectable dishes with some difficult mystery ingredients.
Round 1: The Chefs Blind Taste Student Work
26 Culinary Institute of Virginia students started the day in the CIV kitchens, cooking up a perfect bite. They each had 45 minutes to prepare 11 small portions of food for the faculty chefs to taste and evaluate. As the food started rolling out from the kitchens, the quality and presentation of the dishes was evident.
Chefs moved around the room, taking a bite from each plate and marking down comments and criticisms on score sheets. After each chef had gotten a chance to taste all of the dishes, the chefs joined the students in the dining room to announce the 11 who would move onto the next round of competition. Tensions were high as the chefs called out one-by-one who they picked and gave feedback on the dish.
Round 2: The Perfect Pairs get their Mystery Baskets
In the style of Chopped, each pair was given mystery ingredients to cook the appetizer round with. But these weren’t common, simple kitchen staples anyone with a sauce pan can throw together. The first mystery basket included ingredients such as lime Jell-O, popcorn, and rhubarb. Lesser chefs would have packed their knives and gone home, but the CIV chefs and students got to work.
As the first round of dishes started rolling out of the kitchen, the creativity, ingenuity, and expertise was inspiring. The judges definitely had their work cut out for them. The judging panel was a collection of local chefs and foodies, including a special guest judge, Kayla, who was the winner of a social media contest.
Round 3: Mystery Basket Two and the Final Pairing
Five teams survived the appetizer round to move onto the entrée round. Out of these five teams, only three would take home scholarship money or cash prizes. Not to mention the bragging rights!
But first, the second mystery basket. The contents did not disappoint. Among the ingredients were coffee beans, tater tots, grouper, and an uncommon fruit called durian, which bears the unfortunate nickname of the smelliest fruit in the world. The chefs and students raced back to the kitchens to start another 45 minutes of cooking.
The atmosphere in the CIV kitchens was electric. With $1,000 of scholarship money on the line for the grand prize student winner, everyone was bringing their A-game to the kitchen. But with such tight competition and a very difficult mystery basket to work with, who would emerge victorious was anyone’s guess.
The 2016 "Perfect Pairing" Winners
The final five dishes rolled out and were introduced to the judges. While durian is renowned for smelling unpleasant and overpowering anything it was cooked with, what came out of the kitchens all smelled delicious and looked even better. The judges tasted the plates and the chefs and students waited nervously to hear their fates.
As the scores were being tallied and the certificates of achievements printed, the judges had a chance to give valuable feedback to the students on their dishes. When it came time to announce the winners, everyone was on the edge of their seats.
Chef Mark Bedzik and student Sakinda Ford took home third place, with Sakinda securing a $350 scholarship. In second place was Chef Dave Miller and student Susan Marrihew. Susan earned $650 in scholarship money. Now was the big moment. CIV Campus President Andrew Gladstein announced the grand prize winners; Chef Kelly Demarchena and Brooke Inman. Brooke walked away with the $1,000 scholarship. All chefs who placed received a cash prize of $350.
Congratulations to everyone who took part and thanks to everyone who made this year a success! We can’t wait to see what the chefs and students cook up for the next Perfect Pairing Competition.
Plating the final dish! Let's see who wins it all. #tasteofciv #cullinaryinstituteofva pic.twitter.com/kQ3PT0M8mS
— Culinary Inst. of VA (@CIVChef) July 29, 2016
Does being a part of the Culinary Institute of Virginia community and taking part in a competition like this interest you? Do you think you can stand the heat of the kitchens? If you are looking to join an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts program that is accelerated, hands on, and fast-paced, be sure to contact an admissions counselor today to discuss your options. We need new student competitors for next year. Find out if that could be you!
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