Students to participate in chef's challenge, culinary showcase week

RALEIGH, N.C. — N.C. State University Dining will host the third annual Chef's Challenge and Culinary Showcase Week Feb. 19-21. The Chef's Challenge is the main event that will take place Feb. 21, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Wolves' Den, located downstairs in Talley Student Center.

The Chef's Challenge and Culinary Showcase Week is designed to demonstrate the culinary talent of the chefs on the N.C. State University Dining s taff and provide a culinary education experience for students on campus. Students are invited to participate in events that will include a flaming crepes suzette demonstration station that will be held in each of the dining halls during Monday's lunch period and lessons from University Dining on how to make popular wraps from around the world during Tuesday's dinner period.

“Each year, the chefs enjoy battling it out for the title and showing off their incredible culinary talent,” said Bill Brizzolara, executive chef at North Carolina State University. “We always enjoy having students involved in this event and work hard to plan fun, educational opportunities during the different meal periods.”

Four teams of two chefs representing each dining hall on campus and University Catering will compete in a live cooking competition. The teams will prepare a main dish according to a pre-set list of rules. A panel of celebrity guests and culinary experts will judge each dish according to culinary skill, creativity, presentation, composition and, of course, taste. The winning dish will be served at the campus dining halls on a later date.

Celebrity guests are: Bill Leslie, WRAL News Channel 5 anchor and the only two-time Peabody Award winner from North Carolina, and John Mickey, N.C. State student senator and resident advisor. Dr. Thomas H. Stafford Jr., vice chancellor for student affairs at N.C. State, will serve as the master of ceremonies for the event.

Culinary judges are: James Hallett, a chef and a culinary instructor for Wake Technical Community College; Bob Passarelli, a chef consultant for U.S. Food Services; Daniel Scott Shurr, an executive chef for The Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern in Raleigh, N.C.; and Bill Brizzolara, the executive chef for N.C. State University Dining and the Culinary Chef's Challenge director.

For more information on the Chef's Challenge or other N.C. State University Dining activities, contact (919) 515-7012, or visit www.ncsudining.com.