January 18, 2013 | Peter Morenus & Angelina Reyes

Ready, Set, Cook! UConn’s Culinary Olympics

Twelve teams of chefs representing various dining facilities on campus prepared an array of delicious dishes during the 'Boiling Point' competition on Thursday.

Sterling Townes of South Marketplace puts the finishing touches on part of his team's entry during the Boiling Point competition of the 13th annual Culinary Olympics held at Rome Ballroom on Jan. 17, 2013. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

Sterling Townes of South Marketplace puts the finishing touches on part of his team's entry during the Boiling Point competition of the 13th annual Culinary Olympics held at Rome Ballroom on Jan. 17, 2013. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

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Twelve teams of three chefs each representing UConn’s various campus dining facilities competed in the “Boiling Point” competition on Jan. 17, part of the annual Culinary Olympics sponsored by the Department of Dining Services.

Similar to the “Iron Chef” competition, each team received a box of mystery ingredients, and had one and a half hours to prepare three different dishes, or tapas, using some additional items from the pantry. A panel of four judges assessed the results, based on creativity, cooking techniques, use of ingredients, and taste and texture.

The judges were Rand Richards Cooper, a food critic for the New York Times; Priscilla Martel, a professional chef and food writer; Christoper Prosperi, chef and owner of Metro Bis Restaurant; and John Saddlemire, vice president for student affairs.

First place for 2013 was awarded to Team 9 from Northwest Dining Hall, comprising Lisa Charbonneau, James Watt, and Raj Simkhada.

Also during the event, UConn pastry chef Donna Kay gave a cake decorating demonstration. See the video:

 

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