UMW Wins "Home Town Take Down" Chefs' Fare

Nearly 1,000 students sampled and voted for their favorite chef in Chefs’ Fare 2018 hosted by the University of Mary Washington (UMW) Dining Services by Sodexo.

A "Home Town Take Down" theme challenged participating chefs to create menus that represented their home town or region. Previous competitions featured Street Foods, Comic Super Heroes, the Olympic Games, and the Seven Wonders of the World.

In the annual Chefs' Fare culinary contest, campus chefs compete with other colleges and universities to garner the most student votes for themed menus.

This year's competitors included Shenandoah University, Emory & Henry College, Marymount University and Virginia Wesleyan University.

Since the Chefs' Fare competition is offered as part of the regular dining program at the University of Mary Washington, each chef had to prepare enough food to feed nearly 1,000 student guests who attended the dinner.

Each student was given a ballot upon arrival to the dining room and voted after tasting each entry.

“Students love not only the variety and inventiveness of the menus, but also the sense of fun that these events infuse into the dining program,” said Rose Benedict, marketing manager.

“The UMW culinary team, led by Executive Chef Will Allison and Chef Mary Williams, was the resounding winner with their Fabulous Fredericksburg menu of ‘revolutionary’ takes on colonial era dishes,” said Benedict.

According to ballot box results, UMW’s BBQ Pork Parfait, Zucchini Fritter with Cheesy Grits and Chocolate Cheesecake with Tart Cherries and Girl Scout Cookie Crust were runaway favorites.

“Chef Will, dressed as a founding father and Chef Mary as a tavern barmaid embodied the early American theme and delighted all of the guests with their witty rapport,” said Benedict.

For additional information about the dining services program at UMW, call 540-654-2165 or Dining@UMW.edu or Rose Benedict, 540-654-2169 or rbenedic@umw.edu.