Five teams will take part in the finals of the Association for Healthcare Foodservice’s culinary competition. The five teams hail from facilities in Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio and Tennessee.
Here are the five finalists:
• Darla Mehrkens, CEC and Amber Duncan, Carilion Clinic (Roanoke, Va.) making Cod a la Nage
• Mike Kasperek and Harvey Buchhan, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (New Brunswick, N.J.) making Blackened Mahi Mahi
• Bridget O'Leary and Manny Lopez, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center (Baltimore, Md.) making Bulgolgi Beef Bibimbap
• Matthew Osolin and Ryan Wagner, Ohio Living at Breckenridge Village (Willoughby, Ohio) making Prawn Sanctioned Ashore
• Richard Farmer, CEC and Michael Vetro, CEC, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (Memphis, Tenn.) making North Carolina Black Bass with Gazpacho, Yellow Pepper Gastrique and Red Cabbage with Fennel
The competition will take place on August 16 as part of AHF’s 2017 Annual Conference in the Washington, D.C., area. These teams and their dishes will be judged on organization, culinary skills, taste and presentation.
Each original recipe must follow certain nutritional and cost guidelines and be appropriate to serve in the team’s operation; whether retail, catering or patient feeding. The top three winners will be awarded prizes and medals. Additionally, this year following the competition, AHF will present a new award entitled the People's Choice Award wherein conference attendees are invited to vote for their favorite team's dish. The winning team will receive this new accolade.
The following is list of the judges for the 2017 AHF Culinary Competition:
• Erik "Chef Egg" Berlin, Celebrity Chef
• David Creamer, Gaylord Executive Resort Chef
• Jason Johnston, MGM Executive Chef
• Chef Lloyd Galloway, ACF Certified Evaluator
• 2016 AHF Culinary Competition First Place Winner, Chef John Graziano
• 2016 AHF Culinary Competition First Place Winner, Chef Jason Nyman
