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March 13, 2008
Hoosier chef takes regional culinary competition at Purdue
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - An Indiana native won the Iron Chef-style cook off this week at Purdue University as part of the National Association of College and University Food Services 50th annual Midwest Region Conference.Each chef was given just one hour to prepare a complete meal for four people anchored by this year's key ingredient, striped bass. A team of professional judges awarded Ball State University chef Jason A. Reynolds the first prize medal for his presentation of pan seared striped bass accompanied by shitake mushroom polenta cake and creamed spinach.
The Muncie native earned his culinary arts degree from Vincennes University and joined Ball State in 1998. Previously he worked at the Radisson Hotel in Indianapolis and the Woodland Country Club in Carmel, Ind. Reynolds served on the committee to create the intercollegiate NACUFS Culinary Challenge.
"Many chefs are leaving restaurants to bring their skills to university diners. This competition was designed to display and hone those skills," Reynolds said. "At places like Purdue and Ball State the trend is toward display cooking, meals made-to-order right in front of the students. That's what we do in this event."
Nearly 500 people from more than 50 Midwestern colleges and universities are visiting Purdue this week for the conference, the largest attendance in the event's history. This is the first year that Purdue Housing and Food Services has hosted the conference.
Nona Golledge, University of Kansas director of dining services and NACUFS regional president, said conference participants will be incorporating what they learned at Purdue's educational sessions and award-winning Ford and Windsor dining courts into their own dining master plans.
"They just think that Purdue is doing a fabulous job and has a lot to be proud of," Golledge said.
Writer: Jim Schenke, (765) 494-6262, jschenke@purdue.edu
Sources: Jason Reynolds, chefreynolds@bsu.edu
Nona Golledge, (785) 864-4560, golledge@ku.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: Competition photographs, videotaped B-roll and sound clips from the winner are available. For more information, contact Jim Schenke, Purdue News Service, at (765) 494-6262, jschenke@purdue.edu
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