Baker College culinary team wins second ACF state championship

Baker College’s Culinary Institute of Michigan (CIM) in Port Huron is celebrating its second American Culinary Federation (ACF) state team championship in as many tries and will represent Michigan in the Central Region championship in Joliet, Illinois, Feb. 3-4.

The 2017 team members are captain Jamie Cook, of Saginaw; Jordan Holly, of Saginaw; Angela Mejia, of Potterville; Cody Herman, of Marysville; and Amber Beckem, of Detroit. All students are in their second year of the culinary arts program except Mejia who is in her second year of the baking and pastry program.

“Our student chefs amazed the judges with their talents and professionalism,” said Thomas F. Recinella, CEC®, AAC®, HGT, CIM Port Huron dean of culinary arts and COURSES Restaurant executive chef. “Each of them worked hard to perfect their skills and self-discipline, and their hundreds of hours of practice paid off.”

Competing teams at the Jan. 7 event were from Baker College’s CIM in Muskegon and the Culinary Studies Institute at Oakland Community College. All three teams won silver medals, however the champion was decided based on the highest score attained.

Each team produced four servings of a four-course menu. The ACF determined this year’s appetizer course: filets de sole Lady Egmont, a classical fish dish.

For the three other courses, the CIM Port Huron team made:

• Salad: Fresh baby greens with candied walnuts, goat cheese mousse, pickled fennel and citrus.
• Main: Trio of chicken with croquette potato, butternut squash puree and green beans.
• Dessert: Pistachio Bavarian with a pomegranate gelée, raspberry lime sorbet and chocolate fritter.

The competition also included a skills salon in which team members drew one of four skills to demonstrate in a relay-style format. Skills included the butchery of a whole chicken, filleting a fish, a variety of knife cuts and a series of pastry skills.

“The students have improved their skills and gained confidence in their ability to perform under pressure through this competition,” said Paula Recinella, CHE, CIM Port Huron senior lead instructor and COURSES Restaurant manager. “This elevates expectations in their classes, which benefits all students.

“Placing first in both years we competed is rewarding to all the faculty and is a testament to the quality of our programs and the talent and drive of our students.”

CIM faculty supporting the team include coaches Paula Recinella and Nicholas Cornfield, pastry coach Scott Twichell and team advisor Thomas Recinella.

The competition was sponsored by the ACF Michigan Chefs de Cuisine Association and hosted by CIM Port Huron. ACF-certified judges presiding over the competition came from across the United States:

• Randy Torres, CEC®, AAC®, designated lead judge, from Oregon.
• Frank Costantino, Ed.D., CEC®, CCE®, CCA, AAC®, from New York.
• David Turcotte, CEC®, AAC®, from Maine.
• Joseph Decker, CMPC, from Michigan.
• Scott O’Farrell, CEC®, CEPC, CCA, from Michigan.

The Institute won its first ACF state team championship in 2015 and has held the ACF Student Chef of the Year state title for three consecutive years – all three years a CIM Port Huron student has competed. Bethany McKenzie, of Jeddo, holds the 2016 title.

For more information about Baker College’s culinary program, contact Dan Kenny in the admissions office at daniel.kenny@baker.edu, 888.262.2442 or 810.985.7000, or visit www.baker.edu.

The largest private college in Michigan, Baker College is a not-for-profit higher education institution accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Founded in 1911, Baker College grants doctoral, master’s, bachelor’s and associate degrees, as well as certificates in diverse academic fields including business, health science, engineering, information technology, education and human service. Baker College has on-ground campuses throughout Michigan and offers online programs that can be completed 100 percent online without ever visiting a campus. In 2016, the Online Learning Consortium recognized Baker College Online with the OLC Quality Scorecard Exemplary Endorsement, the highest ranking for online higher education programs. For information, visit www.baker.edu or follow Baker College on Twitter, @bakercollege, or on Facebook, www.facebook.com/bakercollege.

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Photo caption

Baker-PH2017teamChamps.jpeg – Celebrating their state victory are Baker College culinary students, from left, Angela Mejia, Jordan Holly, team captain Jamie Cook, Cody Herman and Amber Beckem. Also pictured is team coach and faculty member Paula Recinella.