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| News Release | |||
| Release Date: | 7/28/2010 | Release Time: 7:32:02 AM | |
| Source: | The Press Enterprise |
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| Subject: | From seed to table |
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From seed to table RCC culinary students devise menu with ingredients they grow themselves 10:25 PM PDT on Monday, July 26, 2010 By TIFFANY RAY The Press-Enterprise Fledgling chefs faced off over the weekend in a culinary competition that is part of a larger program aimed to give them a hands-on look at the business of food from seed to table. Six students at the Riverside City College Culinary Academy tested their skills in a cooking contest at Mario's Place in downtown Riverside by devising menu items using ingredients they had grown themselves. Chefs du Potager, as the competition is called, is the result of a new partnership between RCC and Growcology, a Riverside-based nonprofit with a focus on sustainability education. Emily Hartop, chief instructor at the academy, said the idea is to make students more aware of where food comes from and what it takes to get it to restaurants. Justin Tasker, tastes a dish made by Frank Ortiz. The two were among six students competing in a cooking contest over the weekend. Working in pairs, culinary students planted their own gardens in February on a 3-acre plot in Riverside operated by Growcology. Students returned regularly for lessons on everything from weeding and composting to pest control and the seasonal calendar, and to tend their plots. The program concluded Sunday with a culinary competition in which teams devised appetizers, entrees and desserts using all-local ingredients, including some they had grown themselves. Each dish was presented to a panel of local food experts, who shared their thoughts on presentation, flavor, texture, color and balance. Sixty or so supporters were on hand to watch the judging. "It was a lot of work," said Frank Ortiz, one of Sunday's competitors, about the program. "But I'm happy I put in the extra hours." Ortiz and fellow RCC student Justin Tasker planted peppers, tomatoes, radishes, shallots, cucumber, green beans, basil and other vegetables and herbs on their Growcology plot, then collected donations from local farmers to supplement their stash. They won Sunday's competition with a menu that Ortiz called "classic, but organic:" roasted chicken Ballantine stuffed with summer vegetables and served with a roasted garlic and white wine cream sauce, accompanied by a salad of heirloom tomatoes, wild arugula, mozzarella and a tangy, sweet vinaigrette and, for dessert, summer figs with mascarpone cheese drizzled with a sweet and sour orange balsamic reduction. Leone Palagi, head chef at Mario's Place and one of Sunday's judges, said the new program is valuable because it helps to reinforce a connection to nature, and to the seasons. Justin Tasker, an RCC culinary student, picks vegatables at Growcology, a local sustainability nonprofit in Riverside, on Saturday. "These are not just commodities that are available from impersonal distributors," he said. As part of their prize, the pair's winning creations are being featured on Mario's menu. Bianca Chavez, president of Growcology, said sourcing foods locally gives chefs access to a greater variety of ingredients and allows them to create seasonal recipes. Some foods, such as amaranth, a leafy green high in protein, are difficult to ship, which means they are often only available from local sources, she said. "We wanted to educate students graduating from college into the culinary world what goes into actually growing food, and allow them to experiment with ingredients they might not be familiar with," she said. Increasingly, U.S. restaurants are seeking local products for menu items. James Kelly, executive chef at Owen's Bistro in Chino and another judge, said he visits markets daily, and his menu changes accordingly. "The produce kind of tells me what to make and dictates my path on a daily basis," he said. Supporting local farmers and products is important for economic reasons, for health reasons and for communities, Kelly said. And produce that comes right off the vine "just tastes better," he said. Reach Tiffany Ray at tray@PE.com or (951) 368-9559 |
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