Roanoke, Va – ACF Culinary Team USA stopped in Roanoke to practice for the Culinary World Cup Competition.
The team is made up of some of the best chefs from all around the country. They have been making stops all across the United States to practice in different kitchens. This week, they are at Virginia Western Community College preparing new dishes for the competition.
The Culinary World Cup is one of the largest and most important cooking competitions in the world. Over 30 teams from across the globe will be competing. It will take place from Nov. 24 through 28 in Luxembourg. During the competition, teams will produce two different menus. One will be for the Restaurant Nations portion of the competition, where chefs will prepare a three-course meal for 110 people. The second part of the competition is for the Chef’s Table. This includes a seven-course Meal for 12 people.
The chefs will be judged on things like consistency, flavor profiles, and size portions.
“We are thinking ‘what is next?’ What’s the next thing going to be? What’s the next hot thing going to be? That is what we are trying to develop because that is who we are trying to be. We are trying to be the people that everyone wants to mimic and come up with our ideas,” said Kevin Storm, team manager for the American Culinary Federation USA. “We are also developing all of our service wear, all of our platter wear. So there is a lot of research and development going into that too.”
Part of being on the team is giving back to the schools that host them. When the chefs aren’t practicing, they are working with students at each school and teaching them new techniques. They also offer to teach seminars for the students while they are in town. This is an opportunity for the students to talk to the team members, learn about their paths, and make connections for their career.
“The students at this school and at all schools are the future of this industry. So, if we are able to have these students embrace or at least heightened awareness of what this is about, this then becomes a mission for students to take forward too,” said John Coletta, the logistics manager for the team.
The best part is when the chefs are preparing for the World Cup, any of the food they make goes back to the students and the school.
The ACF Culinary team travels around the country so that they can learn about the different foods offered in different parts of the country. The next stop of their journey is in Nebraska at the Metropolitan Community College.