Silver medal for Chef JJ Molina at NACUFS!
Chef Jeremiah "JJ" Molina, from Cornell's North Star Dining Room, competed this week at the 2024 Northeast Regional Culinary Challenge hosted by NACUFS, the National Association of College & University Food Services, and was awarded a silver medal!
The challenge at this week's American Culinary Federation certified competition in Buffalo included a "market basket" of branzino, bulgur, and shrimp, and chefs from ten participating institutions were given one hour to create four plates of their featured entrée using the provided ingredients.
NACUFS says the competing chefs were each given two fresh branzinos between 28-32 ounces, gutted and scaled but with heads and fins still on; a pound of medium bulgur wheat; and a pound of peeled and deveined white shrimp, tail on, size 21-25/pound. "They must use all three types of protein to build a nutritionally balanced plate including starch, vegetables, and sauce that will impress even the most discerning judge," the competition instructions said.
Chef JJ presented a dish of bulgur crusted branzino with romesco sauce and a charred saffron marinated shrimp with chermoula sauce, accompanied by roasted eggplant tabbouleh and shaved fennel.
"Chef JJ is no stranger to competing and has won several medals in regional and national competitions," says Executive Chef Ambarish Lulay. "We are proud of his accomplishments and excited to see him compete at the regional conference. He has been practicing for the last two months and has been coached by Chef Josh Holden and Chef Maurice Choo."
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 about 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.