The Department of Dining Services will hold its annual Culinary Olympics on Tuesday, January 10, 2023. The event will take place at the Putnam Refectory located on the University of Connecticut, Storrs Campus. This annual event showcases the skills of UConn Dining chefs through an individual recipe competition in the morning and a team-based “Chopped”- style competition in the afternoon. The event is free and open to the public.
The morning event, “Recipe Contest” judging, is scheduled to begin at approximately 10:00am on Tuesday. Recipes are prepared on-site by UConn Dining chefs for 12 portions and must fall into one of the following categories: Appetizer, Entrée, or Dessert. Recipes will then be judged on the following criteria: Creativity of Dish / Cooking Techniques / Use of Ingredients / Taste, and Texture.
The afternoon event, “Boiling Point,” is scheduled to begin at approximately 12:00pm. This is our version of the “Chopped” competition, which will involve teams of three chefs representing the department’s different dining facilities. Each team will be presented with a mystery box of ingredients and, using miscellaneous items from our pantry, prepare three different tapas (small dishes or appetizers) on each plate. Teams will have 75 minutes to prepare their dishes for three judges. Teams will then be scored on the following criteria: Creativity of dish / Cooking Techniques / Use of Ingredients / Taste and Textures. Teams are not allowed to bring or use ingredients not supplied by the competition. The setup for Boiling Point allows guests to get up close to the teams to watch as they strategize, prep, and get creative with their mystery ingredients.
Location address: Putnam Refectory – Dining Hall-2358 Alumni Dr, Storrs, CT 06269
Parking: Parking is free and available to the public for the duration of the event in nearby D lot. Handicap parking is available right outside of the dining hall. Printable Map | Full UConn Map
Event Contact: Robert Landolphi, Assistant Director Culinary Development-Robert.landolphi@uconn.edu
Schedule:
10:00am-12:00pm: Recipe Contest Judging
10:00am-1:30pm: UConn Bakery Demos and Displays – stop by and sample some new bakery items for the upcoming semester
12:00pm-3:00pm: “Boiling Point” Competition
There will be an award presentation immediately following Boiling Point.
Recipe Contest Judges:
Judge: Chef Will Deason – Willimantic Brewing Company / Main Street Café, Willimantic, CT.
Judge: Chef Carl Stafford – Adjunct Professor of Hospitality Management, Manchester Community College http://www.manchestercc.edu/
Judge: Ruth Hartunian-Alumbaugh – “Ravings and Cravings” 1400AM WILI / 95.3 FM ravingsandcravings@gmail.com
Boiling Point Judges:
Judge: Chef Christopher Prosperi – Chef-Owner, Metro Bis Restaurant. www.MetroBis.com
Judge: Rand Richards Cooper – Independent novelist, longtime food and travel writer, and food critic. https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/users/rand-richards-cooper
Judge: Marc Hussey – Education Consultant Culinary & Hospitality, Connecticut Technical Education and Career System. www.cttech.org
Judge: Alex Dino – Author and Corporate Executive Chef, Nestle Professional
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