MORRISVILLE, NY—A team of Morrisville State College students took first place in the prestigious Bistro Challenge at the International Food Service Executives Association (IFSEA) Conference 2015 held recently in Orlando, Fla.
In the IFSEA Bistro Challenge, teams have 90 minutes to plan, prep, plate and present their dishes, incorporating a “mystery” ingredient, to a panel of culinary judges. The mystery ingredient for this year’s challenge was guava paste, which had to be included in at least one of the dishes. Teams were given a pantry of more than 125 items to create their courses.
MSC’s team selected a Caribbean theme and presented: Avocado shrimp salad served in avocado bowls, pork roulade with a mango pineapple chutney glazed with a guava gastrique. And for dessert, the students made fresh oranges filled with orange custard, topped with meringue.
Students were judged on creativity, teamwork, organization, menu planning, taste, sanitation, and table scape.
The Morrisville State College IFSEA Bistro Challenge team was compromised of:
- Amanda Cherry, of Goshen, a resort and recreation service management student
- Candida Turbi, of the Bronx, a travel and tourism/hospitality management major
- Nicole Devito, of Manlius, a resort and recreation service management student
- Nate Lovell, of Cazenovia, a restaurant management major
- Dan Della Vecchia, of Goshen, a resort and recreation service management major
Morrisville State College out cooked Johnson and Wales, which placed second and Harper College of Chicago, which placed third. The MSC team was coached by Anthony Lupino, of New Hartford, assistant professor of travel and tourism/hospitality management, and co-owner of Bella Cucina Restaurant in New Hartford, and Kerry Beadle, of Hamilton, assistant professor and chair of the college’s Hospitality Technology Department, and executive chef at the Copper Turret, a college-run restaurant.
Morrisville State’s curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
In addition to being named to the 2014 President’s Higher Community Education Service Honor Roll, the college was recognized by U.S. News and World Report as an institution in the top tier of the Best Regional Colleges list and ranked second among regional colleges nationwide for outperforming its anticipated graduation rate.