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Inside Story

2011 Research Chefs Association Student Culinology Competition

CHAMPIONS! A team of Southwest Minnesota State University students won the Research Chefs Association Student Culinology Competition in Atlanta, Ga., March 3-5. SMSU’s presentation team consisted of KayLee Ryker, senior, Jeffers, Minn.; Chad Woelfle, senior, Isle, Minn.; Ashley Moore, junior, Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Stephanie Grau, junior, Ankeny, Iowa. “It’s the first time we’ve entered the competition. This is the fifth year it’s been held,” said Culinology Director Michael Cheng. “The students did just a great job. We were up against some

very strong competition.” (cont. on next page)

S P R I N G 2 0 1 1

Commencement – May 7 Please join our class of 2011 as they celebrate a major milestone in their lives!

University Gala – Sept 23 Participate in the largest annual fund-raiser at SMSU

Smokefest – Aug 19 & 20

Fall 2011 Board Meeting – Oct 12 - 14

Homecoming – Sept 24 Ag Bowl – Sept 10

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THE INSIDE STORY SPRING 2011

SMSU Wins Culinology Competition SMSU dethroned defending national champion Johnson & Wales

University of Providence, R.I. Also competing were the University

of Minnesota, Mississippi State University, Louisiana State

University and the University of Guelph, Canada.

The six finalists were selected from 24 institutions that submitted

proposals. The category was desserts, and included peaches as a

main ingredient. SMSU’s entry was “Good as Grandma’s Peach

Cobbler with Buttermilk Vanilla Ice Cream.”

The dish was made prior to the competition and shipped to

Atlanta six weeks beforehand. The team then traveled to Atlanta,

where the dish was then prepared, fresh, by each team on site. The

frozen version and the fresh version were then compared side by

side.

Cheng said the comparisons were to see how each dish could be

prepared for commercial use, and how the frozen, shipped sample

compared with the freshly-made recipe. “The idea was to compare

the fresh with the frozen that was sent earlier, side by side,” he

said. “This year they were looking for a dish to be sold in

restaurants, so the idea was the convenience for the restaurant

operator.

It was a great experience for the students. They’ve been practicing

since last September. We went in with an open mind, we knew we

were up against strong competition, but we figured we had a one

in six chance.”

Cheng said he received a great deal of support from the Schwan

Food Company preparing for the event. “They were great

throughout the entire process,” he said. “I can’t say enough about

what they did to help us get ready.”

As for the win, Cheng said it was a pleasant surprise to win the

national championship. “It was our first time, and we had a good

pep talk before the competition. The students stayed focused, they

really did a tremendous job.”

The Culinology program received a $5,000 check for winning the

event.

Originally published Monday, March 7, 2011 on SMSU Today

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THE INSIDE STORY SPRING 2011

Thanks to the generosity of the Advisory Board and UniPro

Foodservice, we will be awarding $11,900 in scholarships for the

2011 – 2012 academic year.

Board members Kurt Stiles (Pure Living) recently taught a class on Gluten Free Baking in November

2010 to the Baking & Pastry class at SMSU. John Sterbis (ARAMARK)

is currently teaching a Facilities Layout and Design course as an

Adjunct Professor at SMSU.

SMSU Iron Chef Competition The Clapper Living and Learning Community for Culinology students held its second annual Iron Chef competition on February 24, 2011. Four teams of Culinology students competed against each other, and were required to create a three-course meal in 90 minutes. The secret ingredient, tea leaves, was revealed 24 hours before the competition. Guest judges include Dean Campagna, Peg Furshong from Residence Life, and Chef Joe Ektanitphong from the Hunan Lion restaurant in Marshall. Chef Elizabeth Lindemer from The Schwan Food Company also did a demo on how to make Chai Spiced Crème Brulee and Green Tea Scallop for the audience. The winning team were Subash Yadav, Kendra Olchefske, and Stephanie Grau. Each team member won a stainless steel cleaver.

Senior KayLee Ryker was awarded the 2011 CuliNex-RCF Higher Education Scholarship,

$4000. This is the second year that a SMSU student has received this scholarship since its inception in

2010. KayLee also received a $2000 RCF Higher Education

scholarship.