Round Two Group A Thursday, Mar 12 2009

Competition: The Race to Cannes

Round Two, Group A

February 20, 2009

 

Round Two Group A used black drum fish, quinoa, and fennel for this week’s competition.  These ingredients guaranteed that skill, imagination, and preparation were needed to advance into the final four.  We start off with our Cinderella story # 16 seed freshman Nathan Roose vs senior #7 Leanne Willingham.

 

Nathan created a drum fish on the half shell with parmesan baked fennel quinoa and finished a fennel pilaf.  Guest judge Leighton Carbo explains Nathan’s dish as a balanced dish.  “It had nice color, strong flavors, and the fish was cooked nicely.  The fish could have had a little more salt it felt like the fennel seemed like an afterthought.”  Leanne prepared a parmesan-citrus grilled black drum with a fennel cream reduction and pesto quinoa with an orange-fennel slaw.  Chef Phil O’Donnell commented, “This was a great marriage of flavor and the best quinoa of the day.  The fish was missing the parmesan flavor but overall a great dish.”  After reviewing the scoring cards we congratulate Leanne as she advances into the final four. 

 

The veterans of the competition #5 Dustie Latiolais vs # 3 Bryan Joubert rounded out the day with an exquisite display of dexterity.  Both would be great representatives of LCI in France.  Dustie manufactured a flour dusted pan sautéed black drum with fennel marmalade and quinoa pilaf.  James Fox Smith explains, “the rosemary quinoa had an awesome flavor and the fish was had great texture.  Good temperature and that was an excellent marmalade.”  Bryan made an almond pecan crusted drum, herbed quinoa, fennel and apple compote.  Chef Jon Petrie talks about this dish, “the flavors really work together in this plate.  The plate had a nice earthiness to it and the pecan crust was a very nice touch.”   After another tough opinionated round Bryan advances into the final four and is one step closer to Cannes.

 

The final four students are set to compete on Friday March 13^th, 2009.  They will use venison, couscous, and acorn squash and two luck contestants will advance into the finals.  This remarkable conquest is almost over and we are finally getting close to the Cannes Film Festival.  Which of our four students will advance to the finals  #10 David Montgomery vs #4 Trip Illing or #7 Leanne Willingham vs #3 Bryan Joubert. 

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Round One Group A Wednesday, Feb 11 2009

Competition: The Race to Cannes

Round One, Group A

February 6, 2009

The first round of The Race to Cannes was completed on February 6, 2009 with Group A showcasing their abilities to four guest judges: James Fox Smith, Owner/Editor of Country Roads Magazine; Kianga Kelly, Reporter from NBC’s 33 Baton Rouge; Chef Anthony Delpidio, Owner of The Cocoa Bean Bakery; and Chef Justin Ferguson, Executive Chef of Capital City Grill and Stroube’s Chop House.

After this week’s competition, it was apparent that preparation and practice are essential to prevailing in this contest. The Round One, Group A match-ups were:

Jeffrey Ponder #9 (senior) versus Leanne Willingham #7 (senior)

Dustie Latiolais #5 (senior) versus Bryan Joubert #3 (senior)

Nathan Roose #16 (freshman) versus John Cairo #1 (associate)

The ingredient choices included quartered chicken breast, zucchini and arborio rice. Again, the students’ start times were staggered in fifteen minute intervals and each student was given two hours of prep time. This week’s kitchen atmosphere was drastically different from last week, in that it seemed pretty calm and organized.

In our first match-up, Jeffrey Ponder prepared arborio and wild mushroom crusted chicken breast topped with a cold pickled zucchini salad, covered with herb white truffle and red wine demi, and served with a zucchini and wild mushroom risotto. Leanne Willingham made a roasted chicken breast with panko flavored lemon zest, fresh ginger, and green tea. On the side, Willingham served Napoleon-style constructed soy glazed rice crackers, sweet tart grilled vegetables and broiled mushrooms. James Fox Smith enjoyed both dishes but saw a bit more creativity in Willingham’s dish. He explained, “Leanne, you had good flavors, a crisp crust and the chicken was tender, overall the dish was creative. The only problem I had was the temperature, I wish it would’ve come out bit warmer.” We wish the best of luck to Leanne as she advances to the second round.

Our next match-up featured Dustie Latiolais versus Bryan Joubert. Since both students had already earned a spot in Round Two, this contest provided each with a practice run. Latiolais created a smoked gouda stuffed chicken with wild mushroom risotto and zucchini potato hash, topped with a tasso cream sauce. Joubert constructed a chicken roulade served with zucchini pasta and risotto cake. Chef Anthony Delpidio commented on Joubert’s dish “Great crust. The texture was good with great flavors. The presentation was good because you used the entire plate and everything was centered. The zucchini pasta was surprisingly good and the risotto was fine, but the presentation of the risotto needs work.” While Joubert won this trial run, it is still anyone’s game in Round Two.

The final competitors of the day were Nathan Roose and John Cairo. Roose, the freshman, prepared a pan-seared white chicken with a Beurre noisette cabernet sauce, garlic zucchini, and a basil risotto with zucchini tomato. Cairo made a chicken roulade stuffed with spinach and goat cheese, served with a side of Mardi Gras risotto and grilled zucchini, and finished with a poultry glace. In a surprising victory, Chef Justin Ferguson announced that the freshman, Roose, winner. Commenting on Roose’s dish, Ferguson explained, “The chicken was very good and cooked perfect. The presentation and creativity was great and the garnish on top completed the dish.” Roose has been the second underdog to advance to the next round.

The Group A winners will compete in Round Two on Friday, February 20, 2009, where the ingredients will be quinoa, fresh round fish and fennel. The match-up will be:

Nathan Roose #16 versus Leanne Willingham # 7

Dustie Latiolais #5 versus Bryan Joubert #3

With Round One complete, the competition is heating up and the surprises keep coming. Both of our top seeds (#1 and #2) are out of the competition, leaving their survivors (#15 and #16) to compete. Check back next week for Group B’s Second Round competition results, where the ingredient choices are steel oats, rabbit and brussels sprouts. The guest judges will include Jesse Gunkle, Meteorologist NBC 33, Maggie Richardson, Freelance Writer 1012 Corridor & 225 Magazine, Todd Breland, General Manager In Register Magazine and Executive Chef David Reyes, Nottoway Plantation.

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Round 1 Group B Thursday, Feb 5 2009

Competition: The Race to Cannes

Round One

January 30, 2009

The Race to Cannes moved into the First Round of competition on January 30, 2009 with Group B. The four guest judges, Tommy Simmons from The Advocate, Chef Vincent Marino from Gino’s Restaurant, Executive Chef Leighton Carbo from Sullivan’s and Cody Stevens from Doerle, were wowed by the creativity of the students’ dishes.

After the preliminary round, we knew that the competition would be strong. This week’s line up was:

# 8 Julius Thompson (senior) versus # 10 David Montgomery (senior)

#11 Samantha Neal (sophomore) versus #6 Chris Ward (senior)

#4 Trip Illing (senior) versus #13 Cody Carrol (sophomore)

#15 Owen Hohl (sophomore) versus #2 Meredith Beck-Wiggins (associate)

The ingredient choices included duck breast, parsnips and russet potatoes. The students’ start times were staggered in fifteen minute intervals. Both the kitchen and demonstration lab were buzzing with excitement as the contestants executed their pre-planned dishes.

The first competitor of the day usually has the most challenges to overcome, and Julius Thompson was no different. He prepared a grilled duck breast with blackberry beurre rouge, a parsnip croquette and voison potatoes. His competition, David Montgomery, created a unique dish called Yin Yang Duck with jalapeno garlic croquettes and roasted parsnip, red onion and roma tomato salad. While both dishes were appetizing, the judges settled on Montgomery’s Yin Yang Duck as the winning dish. Tommy Simmons commented, “The duck was very tender and tasty. It had good contrast in sauces that was complimentary to the duck.” Congratulations to David as he advances to the second round.

Our next competition featured Samantha Neal and Chris Ward. Neal took some risks in constructing an Asian-inspired dish called Duck Royal. This pan seared, finished in the oven, duck was served with a citrus sherry sauce and accompanied by a crisp Asian parsnip slaw and savory sesame potato latkes. Her competition, Ward, prepared a Cajun duck with tasso cane cream sauce, followed by parsnips and caramelized onions, and duchesse potatoes. As judge Cody Stevens announced that Ward was the winner, he said “This was one of my favorite dishes of the day. You had a creative presentation and great overall flavor. The sauce was on point. You could have used a little more color, but overall a great dish.” Chris will be one to watch in the second round of this competition.

Our third competition of the day pitted Trip Illing against Cody Carroll. Illing has been known to be a bit boisterous, and his dish was no different. He created Duck Wellington on a bed of caramelized onions and mushrooms, with roasted parsnips and red peppers, and finished the plate with stuffed potato cups. Carroll’s imagination was on target, but his Duck on the Beach suffered some small set backs. His dish consisted of seared duck breast over cream cheese with a feathered pina colada sauce, russet potatoes layered in Gouda under a southern style Boursin cheese, and a sweet parsnip soufflé. The judges chose Illing to advance to the second round. Guest judge Chef Leighton Carbo explained the judges’ decision: “Trip, your dish was very well executed. The Duck Wellington was cooked perfectly. This was a very classic dish, not extremely creative but perfectly executed. All of the flavors worked together.”

The final competitors of the day were Owen Hohl and Meredith Beck-Wiggins. Hohl’s creation, called Duck a la Goodness, incorporated all three of the featured ingredients into one constructed meal. It consisted of a pan-seared duck breast served over herb roasted potatoes, accompanied by parsnip strings and finished with an orange and ginger glaze. Beck-Wiggins created a beautiful plate of seared duck breast with a black cherry port gastrique, scallion and herb potato pancake, and a pear and parsnip confit. This match-up was the closest finish of the day, separated by a mere ten points. While both dishes were delectable and the presentation was perfect, the judges chose the underdog, Hohl, to advance. Guest judge Chef Vincent Marino said of Hohl’s dish, “This dish had great balance; it was simple but good. The orange and ginger glaze went perfect with the dish.” This was a monumental victory for Hohl in his young culinary career; he will be a tough competitor in the second round.

The Group B winners will compete in Round 2 on Friday, February 13, 2009. The featured ingredients will be whole rabbit, steel oats and brussels sprouts. The match-up will be:

#4 Trip Illing (senior) versus #6 Chris Ward (senior)

#15 Owen Hohl (sophomore) versus # 10 David Montgomery (senior)

Check back next week for Group A’s First Round competition results, where the ingredient choices are quartered chicken breast, arborio rice and zucchini. The guest judges will include Kianga Kelly, Reporter from NBC 33; Justin Fergusson, Executive Chef of Capital City Grill; Anthony Delpidio of The Cocoa Bean Bakery; and James Fox Smith, Editor of Country Road’s Magazine.

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Preliminary Round and General Info. Wednesday, Feb 4 2009

Competition: The Race to Cannes

December 2008

The Louisiana Culinary Institute (LCI) is proud to present its latest in-house cooking competition: The Race to Cannes. LCI students will compete in this single-round elimination competition for a trip to the Cannes Film Festival, where the winner will be part of a culinary team that will cook for the entire Cannes Film Festival from May 9 – 25, 2009.

This culinary team, hosted by The American Pavilion, provides up to 1,000 meals per day and caters all of The American Pavilion’s cocktail receptions, press luncheons, parties, and special events. Prior to the Cannes Film Festival, students will enjoy a three-day orientation that includes visits to markets and vineyards, and meals with famed chefs, such as Roger Verge of the Moulin de Mougins.

The Race to Cannes competition is structured as a bracket-style tournament, where students are assigned a seed number. This seed number is used for student placement on the bracket, ultimately determining the match up in the head-to-head competitions. In each round of the competition, students will present a different pre-determined protein, starch and vegetable to the judges. The winner of each round will advance in the competition, while the loser will be eliminated.

LCI will provide the winning student with round-trip airfare to France and The American Pavilion’s program fee, which includes housing, breakfast, official Cannes Film Festival accreditation and pre-festival programming.

The Race to Cannes competition is expected to be fierce, attracting several top-notch students and judges from Louisiana’s culinary and media community. LCI wishes the competing student luck in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Competition: The Race to Cannes

Qualified Entries

January 9, 2009

The Louisiana Culinary Institute (LCI) is proud to announce the qualified entries for The Race to Cannes.

Evan Andrews David Montgomery

Meredith Beck-Wiggins Samantha Neal

John Cairo Jeffrey Ponder

Cody Carroll Nathan Roose

Owen Hohl Crystal Shilling

Trip Illing Julius Thompson

Bryan Joubert Michael Trombatore

Dustie Latiolais Chris Ward

Will McCarty Leanne Willingham

Competition: The Race to Cannes

Preliminary Round

January 23, 2009

The Race to Cannes Competition at the Louisiana Culinary Institute (LCI) has started off with a bang. Four students competed in a preliminary round on January 23, 2009 to narrow the competition seeding to sixteen total seeds. Three of the four competitors in the match up were freshman. The line up was:

#15 Owen Hohl (junior) versus #18 Crystal Shilling (freshman)

#17 Michael Trombatore (freshman) versus #16 Nathan Roose (freshman)

The ingredient choices for the preliminary round were pork tenderloin, sweet potato and cauliflower. After submitting their menu, each student was given two hours to complete four portions of their dish for the judges.

The judges rated each students dish on taste, presentation, creativity, sanitation, skill and mise en place (preparation). The results left #15, Owen Hohl, and #16, Nathan Roose, standing. Hohl’s winning dish was a pan-seared pork tenderloin served over cauliflower puree, accompanied with a sweet potato and goat cheese gratin. And Roose’s winning dish was a black currant glazed pork tenderloin with spicy sweet potatoes and mock twice-baked potatoes. Congratulations to both Owen Hohl and Nathan Roose.

What the preliminary round has shown us is that this competition will be one of deliberate and flavorful creations. Students must be prepared for challenging competitors if they expect to advance.

Check back next week for the results of the Group B, First Round competition, where the ingredient choices are duck breast, russet potatoes and parsnips. The four guest judges for this round will be Tommy Simmons from The Advocate, Chef Vincent Marino from Gino’s Restaurant, Executive Chef Leighton Carbo from Sullivan’s and Cody Stevens from Doerle.

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