The Department of Dining Services will hold its 24th annual Culinary Olympics on Tuesday, January 14, 2025. The event will occur in Connecticut Dining Hall 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 9:30am. 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.

From 10:00am-1:30 pm the UConn Bakery will have displays of their creative work. Stop by and chat with our professional pastry chefs and bakers and learn about the art of decorating.

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 four 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 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.

An award presentation will immediately follow the Boiling Point competition.

Location Address/GPS: Connecticut Dining Hall, 622 Gilbert Rd, Storrs, CT 

Parking Info:  PLEASE REFER TO THIS PARKING MAP WITH PEDESTRIAN PATH INTO CONNECTICUT DINING HALL

Press/Event Contact: Robert Landolphi, Assistant Director Culinary Development-Robert.landolphi@uconn.edu