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Chef Pyiphyo Aung wins Silver Medal at NACUFS Myrtle Beach culinary competition

Chef Pyiphyo Aung, who started his career with Cornell Dining as an SO2 cook 17 years ago, was awarded a Silver Medal on Tuesday morning for the ACF culinary competition at this week's NACUFS Regional Conference in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina! 

The National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) hosts a series of regional conferences each spring, and a national conference each summer, along with an American Culinary Federation (ACF) sanctioned culinary competition at each event. Chef Pyiphyo was selected from among Cornell Dining's staff to compete at this week's event.

For the 2025 regional events, each competitor is being provided one whole fresh chicken without giblets, and one pound of chicken livers, and must use both (along with a fully stocked kitchen workstation) to build a nutritionally balanced plate including starch, vegetables, and sauce to impress the judges. Each contestant is required to create four plates with the meat from just the single provided chicken as well as the chicken livers.

Chef Pyiphyo practiced for over a month under the coaching of Chef Josh Holden to develop and refine his dish, Poached Chicken in Thai Brown Sauce with Khao Man Gai Cabbage Rolls & Vibrant Asian Marinated Liver and Vegetable Salad. It's based on a Thai variation of a Hainanese chicken and rice dish that's very popular in Southeast Asia, and Chef Pyiphyo tells us he has a special personal connection to this dish from growing up in Asia. He spent considerable time this winter working to adapt and elevate what's traditionally a humble and flavorful dish into a fine-dining entrée suited to this level of competition.

A person wearing a chef jacket and hat and apron bends over a cooking station plating the food

He faced off on Monday evening against chefs from the University of Connecticut, Stony Brook University, Smith College, and Fairfield University, and against the clock, as each prepared their dishes in front of a live audience, as well as the judges.

A plate of food including chunks of meat and vegetables, and grilled cabbage

Cornell Dining director Paul Muscente, who also attended the NACUFS regional conference and cheered on Chef Pyiphyo during the competition, says, “I couldn’t be prouder of Chef Pyiphyo for representing our dining program and university at such a high level on this national stage! His talent and dedication truly shone through in his performance, and this achievement reflects his commitment to excellence in our dining program. We are incredibly fortunate to have him on our team!”

About Cornell Dining

Cornell Dining is consistently ranked in the Princeton Review's top ten for best campus food among all colleges and universities in the country! That high rating comes from customer surveys, and reflects Cornell Dining's commitment to serving high-quality foods that are healthy and creatively prepared with genuine care for a diverse community. Cornell Dining operates over 30 on-campus eateries -- which include residential dining rooms, cafés, coffeehouses, food courts, and convenience stores -- and serves more than 23,000 meals a day to members of the Cornell community. For more information, visit dining.cornell.edu.