Monroe College Culinary Teams Warm up to Cold Salon, Take Gold at Javits
Hard work pays off! That’s the underlying philosophy the Monroe Culinary and Confectionery applied in their weeks of preparation for the cold salon at the 2012 International Hotel, Motel & Restaurant Show in November at the Jacob Javits Center in New York. As a result of their efforts, Monroe won the gold medal of the salon and the Prosper Montagne award for cold-food display.
To prepare, the 27 students, led by their team of coaches, transformed the college‘s new pastry lab into a tropical rainforest of delicate chocolate pieces, sugar artistry, a cake featuring all of nature’s beauty and a finely airbrushed frog composed of rice-crispy treats. The long hours of work ensured that each delicate piece of their craft, from the pastries to the poularde, came together for the cold-food display table.
“This is another feather in our cap,” says Dr. Frank C. Costantino, CEC, CCE, AAC, dean of the School of Hospitality Management and the Culinary Arts, “and it’s the result of hard work and dedication by our faculty and the students who are really beginning to see the great value in perfecting their skills for competitions like these. When the results come in, we couldn’t be prouder.”
The Student Teams
Garde Manger—Veronica Marcano, Betania Lopez, Alberto Obando, Aaron Monis, Luz Santiago, Hosung Lim, Cuauhtemoc Cortez, Tiffany Gautier
Confectionery—Glen Jose Hernandez, Lourdes Mejia, Clarissa Rangel, Katrina Vasquez, Steven Medina, Gauris Melo, Maria Wu, Sade Collington, Naomi Torres, Brenda Lara, Jazmilette Velasquez, Shamel Donigan, Angela Jimenez, Jennifer Rivera
Table Design—Ezra Bailey, Raynelle Brown, Michelle Flores, Grizelle Garcia, Giselle Francisco
Monroe College Educational Booth
The PCMA Club: Katherine Garcia , Lucy Nieves, Wilarid Peralta, Estephanie Jeminez, Yvette Hernandez, Kristalie Negron, Lenny Sanchez, Vanesa Ramirez, Jocelyn Henderson, Neisha Simon, Ramona Samuels, Dominique Jamison-Jones, Antonio Martin, Jonathan Greenfield, Norrell Joseph, Donnell Davis, Yvette Gumbs, Liza Burgos, Marsha Marcelle, Tagewattie Khemraj, Argelia Cureno, Monique Arrucci, Nelissa Davis, Michelle Flores, Mario Grijalva
Faculty
Chef Tracy Zimmermann, CCC, CHE, chairperson
Professor St. Clair Thompson, CHE, deputy chairperson
Professor Tanya Hodges, CHE, director
Chef Eric Pellizzari, CEC, CCE, garde manger
Chef Ebow Dadzie, confectionery
Professor Sharon Gellman, CHE, table design
Chef Gerard Molloy, CEPC, advisor
Chef Michael Vignapiano, CCE, AAC, advisor
Professor Geeta Debisingh, CHE
Professor Patrick Hayes, CHE
Leon Monsanto