Last night, four ICE students competed in the Chefs of Grey Poupon Student Competition. ICE students have won the competition for the last two years consecutively, winning culinary scholarships to further their education.
This year, the students were challenged to create a “health-inspired fish dish” using Grey Poupon mustard. At the semifinals in March, six ICE students competed for the chance to advance to the next round. Marc Giroux’s Grilled Dijon-Glazed Striped Bass with Asparagus and Spring Vegetables; Brandon James’s Spice Encrusted Swordfish Loin with Fennel-Citrus Salad, Sautéed Greens and Warm Dijon Sauce; Maridania Collado’s Country Mustard Glazed Chilean Sea Bass with Soy-Dijon Baby Bok Choy, Cockles and Spicy Lemon-Dijon Rice Noodles in Dijon-Miso Broth; and Richard Chan’s Smoked Mustard-Glazed Salmon with Roasted Cauliflower, Roasted Beets and Pea Purée were selected as the finalists.
The students cooked during the afternoon to prepare their judges for the esteemed panel of judges. Each student prepared five plates of their dish during their allotted time and then presented the dishes to the judges and answered questions about their experience creating the dish and using Grey Poupon.
Judges Chef Lisa Fernandes of Dos Caminos, Chef Scott Campbell of New Leaf Restaurant & Bar, Chef Kenny Callaghan of Blue Smoke and Chef Consultant John Doherty tasted each dish and deliberated carefully to determine the winner. The judges praised all the students for their dishes saying that they had not expected this quality of work from students.
Callaghan said he was, “very amazed and impressed by how cool and calm everybody was under pressure. I think I was more nervous in the kitchen than you guys were” In the end, international student Giroux took home the top prize of a $5,000 culinary scholarship for his bold seasonal dish. Second place and a $3,000 scholarship went to Collado and Chan and James were both award $1,000 for their innovative dishes. Congratulations to all the students for their hard work.
