Portobello-dusted lamb tenderloin over a Boursin cheese polenta with a portobello mushroom and port wine ragu sauce ‘ it could be a dish at a five-star restaurant.
But that recipe belongs to Hinman Dining Hall chef manager Sam Pfaffenbach, who competed at the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Regional Competition held at Princeton on March 12.
He returned to Binghamton University with a bronze award from the National Association of College and University Food Services’ (NACUFS) culinary competition.
The competition was split into six regions. The winner of each one goes to the national competition, which will be held in San Jose, Calif. this July.
Pfaffenbach practiced for the competition by preparing the dish several times and timing himself. But in some ways, his training began even earlier.
‘Since I was young, I was always in the kitchen every time there were family events,’ he said. ‘Then at about 15, I started working in a French restaurant around here. Learning from the chef there steered me in the right direction.’
Each year, the regional competition selects one main ingredient on which all dishes must focus. The ingredient is the same across the country. This year, it was the portobello mushroom.
Competitions were held in a large room with four to six cooking stations in each. The competitors had five minutes to set up their stations, one hour to prepare the food, one hour to cook the food and then five minutes to plate it.
During that time, the chefs were required to make four plates, one for each of the three judges ‘ certified by the American Culinary Federation ‘ and one to put on display.
The chefs started in 15-minute intervals of one another so they were all at different stages at once, according to Lori Mason, director of education at NACUFS. This also gave the judges enough time with each dish.
‘Taste was the first thing I was judged on, but also knife skills, cooking techniques and if the dish fell within certain nutritional guidelines,’ Pfaffenbach said.
According to NACUFS, the competitors were rated based on a 40-point scale broken down into organization, cooking skill, culinary technique and taste. The number of points received determined whether they received a medal.
‘The winners could win first, second or third, and gold, silver or bronze,’ said Michael Gattis, unit chef at Princeton University and co-chair of the NACUFS competition. ‘But even if they don’t win first, second or third, they could win a medal based on their point value.’
Gattis described the competition as a chance for chefs from colleges and universities to showcase their talents.
Pfaffenbach said he loves his job in the Hinman Dining Hall and hopes to compete in more competitions like this one in the future.
‘I wanted to give a good name for Sodexo and BU, and be a little more involved with doing things,’ Pfaffenbach said. ‘I think there is a lot of stuff out there that we can get involved in that we don’t.’