Ih/m&rs Chefs Championships Award Culinary Excellence In Four Categories

A landmark five-way tie generated great excitement at the 7th annual IH/M&RS Chefs Championships, when top chefs and talented novices competed in four live cooking flights during the 87th annual International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS), November 9-12, 2002, at New York Citys Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

Cash prizes and American Culinary Federation (ACF) medals and continuing education certification points were awarded for individual competitions featuring chicken and American alligator; a team competition featuring veal; and Grand Marnier La Competition, a student/instructor competition for sweet and savory dishes. For the first time in seven years, a five-way tie took place among all participants in the veal flight, with the total prize money of $4,000 donated in the winners names to the Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund.

Individual competitions awarded first, second and third place cash prizes, for $2,000, $500 and $250 respectively. Grand Marnier La Competition awarded first and second place cash prizes of $3,000 and $1,000 respectively, in both the sweet and savory categories. Prizes were paid directly to the winning schools scholarship programs.

First prize winners in each of the competitions were:

Grand Marnier La Competition Savory  SUNY Delhi, Delhi NY
Grand Marnier La Competition Sweet  The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College, Philadelphia, PA
Chicken  John A. Salazar of Aramark at Minute Maid Park (Houston Astros),
Pearland, TX
American alligator  John Bell of Baltimore Country Club, Baltimore, MD
Veal Team  Robert Graham of Ritz-Carlton, Phoenix, AZ; John Griffiths of Bay Harbor Yacht Club, Bay Harbor, MI; John Montgomery of Pine Hollow Country Club, East Norwich, NY; Mike Ruggiero of Westchester Country Club, Rye, NY; and Thomas Calandruddi, Jr. of Sunset Cove Restaurant, Tarrytown, NY

The IH/M&RS Chefs Championships attract some of the best chefs in the country, allowing them to showcase a mix of their practical skills and creativity, while being recognized by their industry colleagues for their achievements, said Gerry Murphy, culinary director.

The competition format was based on ACF guidelines, with participants judged on
organization, cooking skills, culinary techniques and taste. Judges were: Michael Beriau, CEC; Friedrich Gitschner, CMC; and Nobile Masi, CEPC. Assistant judges were Tom Griffith, CMC, and Jamie Keating, CEC.

The Chefs Championships are coordinated by the IH/M&RS and the ACF. Culinary director for the IH/M&RS Chefs Championships is Gerry Murphy from the Westchester/Lower Fairfield County ACF Chapter. The ACF is an organization of professional chefs, pastry chefs, culinary educators, cooks, and related professionals serving the food industry. The objective of the ACF is to promote the culinary profession and the advancement of its members.

The 88th annual International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show will run
Saturday, November 8, through Tuesday, November 11, 2003, at New York Citys Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. . The IH/M&RS will feature some 1,750 hospitality industry suppliers and attract approximately 45,000 in total trade attendance.

The International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show is sponsored by the American Hotel & Lodging Association; the Hotel Association of New York City, Inc.; the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association, and is managed by George Little Management, LLC (GLM).

For IH/M&RS exhibitor information, contact Christian Falkenberg, show manager, at GLM, Ten Bank Street, White Plains, NY 10606-1954. Telephone (914) 421-3296. Fax (914) 948-6180. E-mail: christian_falkenberg@glmshows.com. Additional information and registration may be obtained online at www.ihmrs.com, or by calling GLMs Customer Service Department at (914) 421-3206 or (800) 272-SHOW.

Recipes and Photographs available upon reque