Cooking is more than a necessity for some young chefs at Salt Lake Community College’s Culinary Institute.
The Spring Fling competition allowed student chefs to showcase the skills they learned during the spring semester and throughout their time at SLCC. From sweet to savory, 13 different dishes were presented for the competition, and the top three dishes from each category won a prize.
From cookies resembling “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” to stuffed mushrooms, each student-crafted dish utilized skills taught by the competition’s judges, who were various chefs from the SLCC Culinary Institute. Led by Chef Franco Aloia, each judge sampled every dish and evaluated it based on taste and presentation.
While the judges were tasting, guests could sample some of the club’s cooking at a separate buffet table. Once every dish had been tasted and judged accordingly, guests and participants could then taste the dishes that were entered into the competition.
Trish Gorman, the dean of the Gail Miller Business School at SLCC, posed for pictures with the Culinary Club and some of the winners. After she heard that the club volunteered their time to help the ASL club with a party, she said: “This club is very hands-on and willing to volunteer their time, it’s a great thing.”
After tasting and speaking with guests and participants, the judges announced the winners in each category.
In the Savory category, Joseph Rook won third place, Johnathan Lokotui won second place, and Berkley Mitchell won first place.
In the Sweet category, Karmen Vea won third place, Grace McDonald won second place, and Kate Richmond won first place.
After the winners were announced, the Culinary Club revealed its new roster of officers, who begin their terms in the summer semester. Berkley Mitchell will replace Billy Day as president, Kate Richmond will be the new vice president, Blaise Barney will become secretary, Karmen Vea will oversee public relations, and Joe Rook will continue as the club’s treasurer.
Additionally, attendees learned that Chef Franco Aloia won Chef Educator of the Year on April 4. Presented by the American Culinary Federation chapter, this award recognizes Aloia’s achievement in educational excellence and service. Over the past few years, Aloia has been a volunteer and a mentor and also a judge for ITEC, FCCLA, Skills USA, and ProStart Programs.
For more information about upcoming events hosted by the Culinary Club, follow the club on Instagram or by visiting the club’s CampusGroups page.
