BALTIMORE, MD., July 21, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) this morning announced Chef C. David Wolf, CEC, of The Ohio State University, as the esteemed first place winner of the NACUFS 2023 Culinary Challenge, held Thursday evening at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor as part of the NACUFS 2023 National Conference.
Chef Wolf won first place and received an American Culinary Federation (ACF) gold medal for his Asian Inspired Pork – Three Ways.
“I feel very accomplished,” Wolf said. “I feel that all the effort and time that went into the competition was rewarded. I’m ecstatic that I have received the award and recognized for the skills and abilities that we are able to possess and share with our students at The Ohio State University. It just represents what we do – the attention to detail and the flavors that we provide the students, international cuisines and things of that nature.”
Chef Jeffrey MacDonald of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst won second place and an ACF gold medal for his Stuffed Prosciutto Wrapped Pork Tenderloin and Braised Smoked Pork Belly. In third place and with another ACF gold medal was Chef Jacob Gandy of the University of Utah for his Crepinette of Pork Wrapped in Swiss Chard. Chef Athan Spanos of Pennsylvania State University, in fourth place, won an ACF silver medal; Chef Héctor Giancarlo Pérez-Scolari of the University of California San Diego, fifth, won an ACF silver medal; and Chef Chad McDonald of the University of Houston won an ACF silver medal.
The NACUFS Culinary Challenge was created in 2001 and recognizes the extensive culinary expertise within collegiate foodservice. Each year, a protein is selected – this year, a trio of three different cuts of pork – which competitors must use to create an original recipe to form a nutritionally balanced plate. The live competition begins at the regional level. ACF judges are on hand at all competitions to judge and provide feedback, making each event a valuable learning experience for competitors. During both the regional and national competitions, the individual creations are judged based on a 100-point scale assessing organization, cooking skills, culinary technique and taste to determine who will take home the NACUFS title and possibly an ACF gold medal.
More than 40 collegiate chefs from NACUFS member institutions in six regions qualified to face off in competitions throughout March during the NACUFS 2023 Spring Conference Series. Each of the winners, representing the Pacific, Continental, Midwest, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southern NACUFS regions, advanced to the final competition. The NACUFS 2023 Culinary Challenge winner receives a trophy, $500 and recognition during the NACUFS 2023 National Conference and in the official NACUFS magazine, Campus Dining Today®.
The 2023 Culinary Challenge is sponsored by US Foods, Cintas and Hormel Foods. Learn more online at www.NACUFS.org/Awards/CulinaryChallenge. Previous winners can be found at https://www.nacufs.org/PastCulinaryChallengeWinners.
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About NACUFS
The National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) was founded in 1958 by a group of college and university foodservice professionals from across the United States. Since its inception, NACUFS has focused on its mission to support and promote excellence in collegiate dining by providing members with the programs and resources they need to excel, from benchmarking and best practices to educational programming and professional networking.
NACUFS institutional members include private colleges to large public universities, and two-year colleges to four-year universities and span the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and beyond. Industry members include food and equipment manufacturers, distributors, brokers, foodservice support companies, councils, boards, trade associations, advisory commissions, and other professional groups. For more information, visit NACUFS.org.
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