Page 103 - January_2019
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“In today’s culture, people want to be wowed.
A  at or shallow dish would give a better presentation.” — John Coker, Compass Group
CULINARY OVERVIEW/STUDENT CHALLENGE: CHEFS DAZZLE AT NYPS
John Coker has been compared to record producer Simon Cowell, judge of American Idol and X Factor, when critiquing culinary students. As a judge at the New York Produce Show’s Innovation Station student challenge, Coker is not afraid to offer constructive and straightfor- ward feedback regarding a dish’s presenta- tion, taste, texture and culinary execution.
“The dough is not  aky or delicate, it’s  at and uninspiring, and the sauce needs intensity and balance, but that ability will come in time,” Coker, who is senior vice president, supply chain management, for Compass Group, tells students. Referring to a samosa appetizer, he continues, “the vessel you chose is wrong for the dish. In today’s culture, people want to be wowed. A  at or shallow dish would give a better presenta- tion.”
Hours before the critiquing began, student teams from the Culinary Institute of Michigan and Johnson & Wales University foraged at trade show booths for produce items. They planned and created three veggie-cen- tric dishes – an appetizer, an entrée and a dessert. The theme: creative Indian.
“The challenge provides the students with a real-world scenario that includes planning, problem solving, decision making and culinary execution,” says Douglas Stuchel, associate professor at the College of Hospitality Management at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI.
Students have an hour to execute each dish, making any changes or decisions along the way, says Stuchel, who accom- panied his four-person team. After students present judges with a course, they return to their station to prepare the next one.
In addition to the competing students, cooking demonstrations took place in the center of the trade show  oor. Featured chefs were Tony Merola, entrepreneur and cookbook author, and Ciarán Duffy, corpo- rate executive chef from Moe’s Southwest Grill. Duffy, assisted by Matt McKinney, Moe’s culinary manager, demonstrated a
new dish – crunchy avocado tacos. Duffy cuts 15 Hass avocados into eighths, rolls them in breading, then deep fries the wedges. Served in a soft, blue corn tortilla, the taco is dressed with onion, cilantro, queso fresco and chipotle ranch dressing.
“It has been well received,” says Duffy, who will be introducing the dish in restau- rants in the next six months. “Everybody who tries it, loves it. Avocados are so trendy now.”
Meanwhile, at the back of the trade show  oor, students work diligently on meals like Indian Jardiniere (veggie mix), Channa Masala (chickpeas) and Dressed Up Mango Lassi.
Mary Angela Miller, administrative director at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, was impressed with the students’ temperament. “They stayed cool and calm, taking the competition seriously but not taking themselves too seriously.”
That’s part of the training, says instructor Amanda Miller, from the Culinary Institute of Michigan in Muskegon. “If I don’t freak out, they won’t freak out.” She offered time updates to help them stay on task.
For dessert, Michigan student Stanley Mersino opted to add an ingredient that reminded him of the Golden Delicious apples he loved as a child. He collected some Piñata apples from the Stemilt booth near the innovation station, using them to thicken and  avor the lassi (yogurt drink).
John Coker
of Compass Group (second from right) and Bob Karisny
of Taco John’s (right) with student chefs on the trade show  oor.
Students competed for the chance to come to the NYPS. The Innovation Station challenge did not have a winner or loser. Students receive comments and feedback from judges coming from different parts of the foodservice world – chefs from restau- rants and institutions, as well as experts in marketing and nutrition.
Not only did the students get to partici- pate in the innovation station challenge, but they also attended NYPS’s Ideation Fresh Foodservice Forum and had the chance to network with industry professionals.
Stuchel says the challenge allows students to learn “quick and creative thinking and problem solving as the planned menu may not be feasible because there is limited equipment to cook with and limited space to executive their dishes,” says Stuchel. “Any chef who has ever done off-premise catering can understand this is a true real-life scenario.”
In addition to Coker and Mary Angela Miller, the other  ve judges were Bob Karisny, vice president for menu strategy and innovation at Taco John’s; Susan Renke, president of Food Marketing Resources; Debra Olson, senior manager recipe development for Golden Corral Corpo- ration; Steve Hammel, dining services program manager (retired) for the U.S. Navy Regional Southwest; Carl Blackbird, test kitchen chef at Taco John’s.
BY LINDA BROCKMAN
PRODUCE BUSINESS / JANUARY 2019 NYPS19


































































































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