Seven stellar student chefs will heat up UNLV's campus kitchens this Sunday, September 19, vying for the right to represent their school at the 3 rd Annual S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef competition. The competition is designed to help students learn firsthand from some of the world's most famous culinary personalities what it takes to become a great cook - and a successful chef - in today's competitive marketplace. The cook-off will take place between 10 AM and 2 PM at UNLV's Beam Hall, 2 nd floor laboratory kitchen.
Student contestants Lindsay Hartsook, Shannon Kuprewicz, Hekili Apao, Christopher Lindsay, Xing Han Ye, Stephan Gellanders and Josh Green will be given two hours to prepare an entr?e with one presentation and ten tasting plates - for a total of eleven plates. They will be judged by a panel of local chefs and media on culinary skill, creativity, presentation, personality and their ability to perform under pressure. Judges will include Vincenzo Lo Verso of Panevino, Mark Ferguson of Trattoria Del Lupo, Luciano Pellegrini of Valentino and Phillipe Rispoli of Aureole, as well as John Fredericks of KVBC Channel 3.
"The Almost Famous Chef program is an outstanding opportunity for our students to shine, demonstrating not only their top flight technical skills in the kitchen, but also their ability to show creativity and personality in their creations," said Claude Lambertz, Chef Instructor and Program Director for UNLV's Culinary Arts Management Program. "It should be an intense - as well as flavorful - competition."
The winner of UNLV's campus competition will join standouts from other top culinary schools at the national finals, to take place October 14-17 at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Contestants will participate in three competition categories: a "mystery ingredient" basket contest, in which contestants have two hours to prepare a dish created from previously unknown ingredients; a signature dish contest, offering contestants an opportunity to showcase regional flavors and traditions; and a people's choice contest, in which competition attendees vote on their favorite dishes.
The high-powered culinary judging panel is slated to include chefs Charlie Palmer (Aureole, New York and Las Vegas), Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken (Owners, Border Grill, Los Angeles/Hosts, TV's Two Hot Tamales), David Kellaway (Executive Chef, Mandalay Bay), Piero Selvaggio (Valentino, Santa Monica and Las Vegas), and Hubert Keller (Fleur de Lys, San Francisco and Las Vegas). Winners receive $1000 cash from S.Pellegrino, a trip to the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners (ICIF) in Italy, and numerous culinary products.
Note to media: The media is welcome to attend UNLV's campus competition, meet the contestants and taste the results! Please contact UNLV Public Affairs at 895-3101 or on the weekend via cellular at 203-9730 for additional information and directions.
