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 shows off the skills of UConn Dining chefs in an individual recipe competition in the morning and then in 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 that will involve teams of three chefs representing the different dining facilities within the department. Each team will be presented with a mystery box of ingredients, and using miscellaneous items from our pantry, prepare three different tapas (small food or appetizer) 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 ingredients or use ingredients that are not supplied by competition. The set up 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

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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.

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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

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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, Chef Alex on Linkedin

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Typically, the annual UConn Dining Culinary Olympics is held in January in the South Ballroom, buzzing with chefs, judges, and hundreds of attendees. The full-day event consists of a recipe contest amongst chefs in the morning and the Boiling Point competition with teams in the afternoon. Due to COVID, Dining Services had to rethink the event. For the 21st Annual Culinary Olympics, the event consisted of just the Boiling Point competition and took place on November 17th and 18th in Dining’s Innovation Lab. The event was not open to the public.

Five teams signed up and each came to the Innovation Lab during their assigned time. Upon arrival, each team was given the same mystery basket of ingredients and 60 minutes to create their dishes. The mystery basket this year consisted of: lamb chops, a Jimmy Dean biscuit sausage egg and cheese sandwich, lentils, mandarin oranges, celery root, and cold brew coffee concentrate.

The judges presiding over the event were Cynthia Costanzo, interim director of the UConn Student Union, and Jay Frain, interim executive director of UConn Recreation.  

Catering won with their dish: Orange espresso lamb chop with fall-inspired fresh celery root slaw, cheesy bacon mashed, and home-style honey sriracha baked lentils & pork. Congratulations to our team members Amanda Flynn, Jeremy Quintana, and Kathy Halgren on their creative dish! The Bistro took second place, and chefs from Gelfenbien won third. Other teams included participants from Putnam and McMahon dining halls.

 

Rob Landolphi and this year’s winning team from the Boiling Point competition (Charlie String, Amy Gronus & Donna Johnston from Gelfenbien) were on Wili 1400AM/95.3FM this week talking with Wayne Norman.

 

This year’s Culinary Olympics was extra special celebrating our 20th year in 2020!  Thank you to not only all of our talented chefs and bakers who participated in the recipe contest and Boiling Point competition but to the judges and coordinators who took time out of their day to make this event a success. Extra special thanks to Sysco Corporate Executive Chef Neil Doherty for his informative presentation and demo of vegetarian barbacoa quesadilla and plant-based bibimbap. Congratulations to all the winners!

List of winners | List of Boiling Point Competition Dishes

Fox 61:

Slideshow | Video

UConn holds 20th Culinary Olympics

Willimantic Chronicle

UConn chefs boiling over with creative ideas

The UConn 360 Podcast and UConn Today feature our upcoming 20th Annual Culinary Olympics. Check it out on the podcast at the 19:155 mark.

 

 

20th Culinary Olympics Showcases Skills of Dining Services Chefs

 

The Department of Dining Services will hold its 20^th annual Culinary Olympics on Tuesday, January 14, 2020. The event will take place at the South Campus /Rome Ballroom located on the University of Connecticut, Storrs campus.

Feel free to attend all or part of this event and watch the Dining Services chefs exhibit their culinary skills! Free and open to the public.

The first event is the “Recipe Contest” that is scheduled to begin at approximately 8:30am on Tuesday. Recipes must be prepared on site for 12 portions, and must fall into one of the following categories:  Appetizer/Entrée/Dessert. Recipes will then be judged on the following criteria:  Clarity of Recipe/ Creativity of Dish/Cooking Techniques/Use of Ingredients/Taste and Texture.

9:30am-10:30pm – Chef Demo with Neil Doherty CEC, Corporate Executive Chef, Sysco Foods – Vegetarian Barbacoa Quesadilla & Plant Base Bibimbap

10:30am-12:15pm –  Recipe Contest Judging 

• Judge: Chef Will Deason, Willimantic Brewing Company/Main Street Café, Willimantic, CT.
• Judge: Chef Carl Stafford, Professor of Hospitality Management, Manchester Community College
• Judge: Ruth Hartunian-Alumbaugh, Chair Willimantic Chocolate Festival, and Food writer, Willimantic Chronicle
• Judge: Chef Gary Moquin, Culinary Arts Instructor, Windham Technical High School, Willimantic, CT

10:30am-1:30pm – UConn Bakery Demos and Displays – Stop by and learn the art of decorating from our professional pastry chefs and bakers. They will also have 20 cakes on display to commemorate the 20^th year!

12:30pm – 4:45pm – Boiling Point –  This is our version of the “Iron Chef” competition that will involve teams of three chefs representing the different dining facilities within the department. Each team will be presented with a mystery box of ingredients, and using miscellaneous items from our pantry, prepare three different Tapas (small food or appetizer) on each plate. Teams will have 75 minutes to prepare their dishes for four judges.

• Judge: Chef Christopher Prosperi, Chef-Owner, Metro Bis Restaurant.
• Judge: Rand Richards Cooper, Novelist, Longtime Food and Travel writer and Food Critic with The New York Times.
• Judge: Kristen Fritz, Public Relations, Strategic Marketing, Community Development, Social Networking www.eatin-ct.com/
• Judge: Jeannette Punsoni Dardenne, Public Relations, Strategic Marketing, Community Development, Social Networking www.eatin-ct.com/

Award presentation immediately following Boiling Point.

For more information contact: Robert Landolphi, Assistant Director Culinary Development-Robert.landolphi@uconn.edu

Dining Services 2019 Culinary Competition

The Department of Dining Services will hold its 19th annual Culinary Olympics on Tuesday January 15, 2019. The event will take place at the South Campus Rome Ballroom, located on the University of Connecticut, Storrs Campus.

The first event is the “Recipe Contest” that is scheduled to begin at approximately 8:30am on Tuesday. Recipes must be prepared on site for 12 portions, and must fall into one of the following categories: Appetizer/Entrée/Dessert. Recipes will then be judged on the following criteria: Clarity of Recipe/Creativity of Dish/Cooking Techniques/Use of Ingredients/Taste and Texture.

9:30am-10:30am: Chef Demonstration– George Giotsas, Chef Owner “Little Mark’s Big BBQ, Vernon, CT. http://littlemarksbbq.com/  Horiatikes Keftedes (Greek village style meatballs) / Horiatiki Salata (Greek village style Salad)

10:30am-1:30 pm: UConn Bakery Demos’ and Displays– Stop by and learn the art of decorating from our professional pastry chefs and bakers.

The final event is scheduled to begin at approximately 12:30pm and is called “BOILING POINT”. This is our version of the “Iron Chef” competition that will involve teams of three chefs representing the different dining facilities within the department. Each team will be presented with a mystery box of ingredients, and using miscellaneous items from our pantry, prepare three different Tapas (small food or appetizer) on each plate. Teams will have 75 minutes to prepare their dishes for 4 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 ingredients, or use ingredients that are not supplied by competition)

“Award Presentation immediately following Boiling Point”

    

Schedule of Events

9:30am: Cooking Demonstration

• George Giotsas, Chef Owner “Little Mark’s Big BBQ, Vernon, CT. Horiatikes Keftedes (Greek village style meatballs) / Horiatiki Salata (Greek village style Salad)- http://littlemarksbbq.com/

 

10:30am-12:15pm: Recipe Contest Judging

• Judge: Chef Will Deason, Willimantic Brewing Company / Main Street Café, Willimantic, CT. www.willibrew.com
• Judge: Jason Bentley, Department Head Culinary Arts, Norwich Technical High School, http://norwich.cttech.org/index.html.
• Judge: Ruth Hartunian-Alumbaugh, Chair Willimantic Chocolate Festival, and Food writer, Willimantic Chronicle, https://thechronicle.com/
• Judge: Owner Andrew Gutt, Cafemantic Restaurant, Willimantic, CT. https://cafemantic.com/

 

12:30pm-4:45pm: “Boiling Point” Competition

• Judge: Chef Christopher Prosperi, Chef-Owner, Metro Bis Restaurant. www.MetroBis.com
• Judge: Rand Richards Cooper, Novelist, Longtime Food and Travel writer and Food Critic with The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/
• Judge: Kristen Fritz, Public Relations, Strategic Marketing, Community Development, Social Networking https://www.eatin-ct.com/
• Judge: Jeannette Punsoni Dardenne, Public Relations, Strategic Marketing, Community Development, Social Networking https://www.eatin-ct.com/

“Award Presentation immediately following Boiling Point”

 

For more information contact: Robert Landolphi, Assistant Director Culinary Development at Robert.landolphi@uconn.edu

Thank you to not only all of our talented chefs who participated in Dining Services 2018 Culinary Olympics Contest but to the judges and coordinators and all who participated in some way to make this event a success. View the list of extraordinary winners here.