Skidmore Hosts Annual Culinary Competition, Earns Silver Medal

Gold medal-winning dishes prepared by the Professional Chefs of New Hampshire and the University of Massachusetts are displayed during Skidmore College’s annual American Culinary Federation Competition on January 10. Photos by Jonathon Norcross.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Members of Skidmore Dining Services competed alongside top chefs from institutions across the country in a “Chopped”-style competition held at Skidmore’s Murray-Aikins Dining Hall last Friday. The Skidmore team was awarded a silver medal for their efforts, while the University of Massachusetts and The Professional Chefs of New Hampshire both took home gold. 

 Each of the 10 participating teams was tasked with preparing a three-course menu and buffet platter by utilizing ingredients in a “market basket” provided to each team. The teams had an hour and a half to develop the menu and then several hours to prepare and serve the dishes. A panel of professional chefs judged the teams on originality, taste, and presentation.

 The team of three Skidmore chefs — Production Manager Tim Thompson, Senior Cook Paul Karlson, and Short Order Cook Allen Lapelle — was joined by Sommarah Whitbeck, a local high school trainee. 

“The overall goal of this competition is to improve competitors’ personal culinary skills,” said Mark Miller, Skidmore’s director of Dining Services, in a statement. “In the end, you end up with chefs who are stronger, more creative, and more skilled, which only strengthens Skidmore’s culinary offerings.”

Other competing institutions included silver medal-winners Princeton University, The University of Buffalo, and the Worlds Master Chef Society from Texas; as well as bronze-winners Cornell University, The College of the Holy Cross, Middlebury College, and St. Lawrence University.