There’s lots of tension and perspiration right now on the convention floor in Las Vegas, where Orange
Coast College students are competing against three other teams this morning to win the national student chef championships. The photos you see here were shot for us this morning.
They’re cooking up a four-course meal that includes poached sole, cauliflower puree, spinach butter sauce, herbed fleuron, prosciutto and melon salad, poulet saute bercy, vanilla bean ice cream and raspberry sauce, hoping to impress the prestigious judges of the American Culinary Federation with their skill.
Last year, the team came in second place in the country, due to foul-ups such as a deep fryer that wasn’t plugged in
, ruining an attempt to deep fry macaroni and cheese, and plates that never got warmed up.
Details like these separate the champs from the also-rans, and OCC’s five-member team hopes to get everything perfect this morning. They only have four hours and 20 minutes from 8 a.m. onward to cook their meals, plate them up and get them on the table to the judges, who will also be judging teams from around the country, in a demonstration kitchen in the middle of the gourmet convention’s floor at the MGM Grand. Read the rest of this entry »
