By About a dozen students looked on as three teams of Cal State Long Beach students competed Thursday to create a three-course meal using the limited resources often found in dorm rooms.
The three-hour event, Dorm Chef: Culinary Art Competition, was the first of its kind on campus.
To make the three-course meal, each team was also required to incorporate a variety of secret ingredients unknown to them until the start of the competition.
The event was hosted by Associated Students Inc. and was sponsored by Trader Joes, Lazy Acres, 49er Shops, Vons, Ralphs and The Grand, a Long Beach event center.
A panel of three chefs judged each course. One of the judges was Victor Sevillano, manager of the Beach Walk Café and Cali Cocina. Joining Sevillano on the judging panel was CSULB communications alumnus Dan D’Sa, who works as a director at The Grand, and Uriel Hernandez, an executive chef.
Their judgments were based on taste, presentation and use of the secret ingredient.
Secret ingredients for the appetizer course included string cheese, Top Ramen noodles and canned Spam. For the entrées, the competitors had to use with sliced turkey, artichoke hearts and macaroni and cheese, and for the dessert round, students used bananas, waffles and bacon bits.
The teams were given a bowl and basic kitchen utensils such as spoons, forks and knives. In order to cook, they used a hot plate style grill and a microwave.
With a total of 103 points, the first place title went to team International Flare. As a team, they were awarded a microwave. Each of the six members received a trophy as well.
“We just threw a bunch of stuff together and hoped for the best,” Karissa Guzman, a senior hospitality management major, said after winning the competition with her team.
Team TamMar JenKy, a title derived from the names of each team member, tied for second place with team IBEEE, a team of engineering majors. Both finished the competition with 100 points each.
Megan Ono, a senior Communications major, helped organize the event under Associated Students Commissions.
“I was inspired to create this event because culinary arts has never really been exhibited on this campus in this way before,” Ono said. “All other fine arts are usually showcased instead, so I wanted to do something new.”
Ono said she hopes that this event is something that can be done again in future years, and possibly against other schools.
