Jessica Monahan
  • culinary arts
  • Hopewell Junction, NY

Jessica Monahan  Earns National Recognition as SUNY Delhi Culinary Team Member

2012 Jul 26

Jessica Monahan  of Hopewell Junction earned national recognition as a member of the SUNY Delhi culinary team, which won the American Culinary Federation's National Student Championship July 15 in Orlando.

Monahan , a Delhi culinary arts junior, helped her team earn first place with a gold medal by a .51 difference. In second place was Orange Coast College with a gold medal, third place was Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis Inc. with a silver medal, and fourth place was ACF Golden Isles of Georgia Chapter with a bronze medal.

This marks SUNY Delhi's second ACF national title. Delhi last entered championship competition in 2010, winning with the largest margin of victory in the event's history. Delhi is the only college in New York State to ever win the ACF National Championship.

"We are very proud of our team for winning a second national title," said SUNY Delhi President Candace S. Vancko. "The team's commitment was exceptional and they have worked very hard to earn the title as the nation's finest."

Team Delhi secured its berth in the ACF national championship by winning the New York State Championship and the Northeast Region Championship. Delhi's hot food team has won six regional championships in the past 10 years.

Monahan , apprentice, joined team members Mathew Howard, captain, of Owego; Stephanie Wickert of Liverpool, Jimmy Russell of New Hartford, Edward Maley of Rochester and Leonard Messina of Farmingdale.. The team was coached by Victor Sommo, instructor and '01 graduate of SUNY Delhi's culinary arts program. Tom Recinella, associate professor of culinary arts, served as team manager. Brianne Slocum, an '07 graduate of the program, also worked closely with the team.

"It was an extremely competitive championship," said Chef Tom Recinella. "To win against three very talented teams makes it even better."

At the national competition, the Delhi team was challenged to prepare a four-course signature menu, with 24 portions of each course, in three hours and 20 minutes and 80 minutes to plate and serve. The winning menu featured:

• Appetizer Course: Seared Red Snapper with a Saffron Sauce, Scallops Mousseline and Romesco Sauce

• Salad Course: Baby Arugula and Maché with Hand-Crafted Artisan Cheese and Roasted Tomato and Hearts of Palm wrapped in Prosciutto

• Main Course: Trio of Mediterranean Lamb

• Dessert Course: Pistachio Gateau with Citrus Fruits

In order to travel to Orlando for the national competition, Delhi's team raised funds by hosting a series of dining opportunities for the campus and community to sample the signature menu. Several chapters of the American Culinary Federation Northeast Region also contributed funds to support the team's entry and travel expenses.

Later this year, Delhi's 2010 national championship team will be featured in the debut of a full-length film, Mise En Place. The documentary, produced by Kent Garrett Productions, chronicles the work of Team Delhi as its members compete, perform community service, and grow together as a family. A red-carpet premiere will be held on the Delhi campus in September.

The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With more than 20,000 members spanning 225 chapters nationwide, ACF is the culinary leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and programmatic accreditation. In addition, ACF operates the most comprehensive certification program for chefs in the United States. ACF is home to ACF Culinary Team USA, the official representative for the United States in major international culinary competitions, and to the Chef & Child Foundation, founded in 1989 to promote proper nutrition in children and to combat childhood obesity. For more information, visit www.acfchefs.org.

SUNY Delhi's culinary arts program has long been recognized as one of the best in the country. The program offers students a firm foundation in which to start their careers as culinary professionals. It progresses through basic skills dealing with Garde Manger, baking, sauces, stocks, etc., to the capstone course, Signatures by Candlelight, a full service fine dining restaurant that is open to the public and operated by SUNY Delhi students. In addition to the core classes, there are numerous culinary electives offered to help each student customize their portfolio of education. Depending on their interest or direction in the field, students can choose from electives such as advanced meat cutting, culinary competition, advanced pastries and confections, and culinary sculpting, which uses 300-pound ice blocks made on campus by culinary students in the college's own ice sculpting lab.

For more information about SUNY Delhi's Culinary Arts program, visit www.delhi.edu or call 1-800-96-DELHI.