UB culinary team awarded silver medal at competition

CDS assistant executive chefs Michael Gorham, Kaprishia Covington and Malik Pryce, and chef manager Ryan Rodenhaus.

Campus Dining and Shops staff members (from left) Michael Gorham, Kaprishia Covington, Ryan Rodenhaus and Malik Pryce took a silver medal at the American Culinary Federation’s 11th Annual Culinary Conference and Competition at Skidmore College. 

Published January 30, 2025

A four-person team from Campus Dining and Shops took a silver medal at the American Culinary Federation’s 11th Annual Culinary Conference and Competition held earlier this month at Skidmore College.

The UB team, comprised of assistant executive chefs Michael Gorham, Kaprishia Covington and Malik Pryce, as well as chef manager Ryan Rodenhaus, placed third out of the 11 teams from four states participating in the ACF Category W Market Basket Competition.

Each team prepared a four-course menu consisting of either an appetizer or salad; a soup or dessert; an entrée with the appropriate starch/vegetable and accompaniment, as well as one buffet platter to serve 10.

The Category W Market Basket that each team had to work with consisted of proteins (whole dressed steelhead trout, Cornish game hens, pork tenderloin, tempeh), vegetables (king trumpet mushrooms, mustard greens, tri-colored carrots, spaghetti squash), grains and starch (lentils, brown rice, russet potatoes), fruits and nuts (blood oranges, Meyer lemons, kumquats, almonds), and a special ingredient of black garlic molasses.

Teams had to create their entire menu using each ingredient and were given one hour to complete the cooking portion.

“The menu planning process was smooth, and I’m proud of how we created a menu that truly showcased the breadth of skills our team has to offer,” Pryce says. “It was especially rewarding to receive commendation from the judges for the wide variety of techniques we employed — a true point of pride for me.”

The UB team's menu:

Appetizer: Confit Cornish Game Hen Tortellini

Meyer lemon-stuffed spaghetti squash tortellini, blood orange butter cream sauce, tomato compote and balsamic reduction

Soup: Steelhead Trout Mélange

Pan-seared steelhead trout atop a seafood and vegetable broth, topped with salted almonds

Entrée: Seared Pork Medallions

Seared pork tenderloin on top of carrot puree, served with poached cauliflower with a black garlic and red wine reduction

Buffet: Tempeh Tacos

Tempeh tacos with refried lentils with jalapeno kumquat relish and salsa verde

“What I love is that it is more than just a competition,” Rodenhaus says. “The collaboration from my fellow chefs, even on other teams, showcases what a community we have wanting to see each other succeed.”

Adds Covington, who was competing in her first culinary challenge: “It goes to show that a team that communicates well and uses the skills and talents of its members to the team’s advantage can be all you need to build upon to succeed. I enjoyed getting to know my teammates better and hearing from other chefs from other universities was very informative.”

Teams representing the University of Massachusetts and the Professionals Chefs of New Hampshire were awarded a gold medal.

In addition to UB, teams receiving silver medals represented Princeton University, the Worlds Master Chef Society from Texas and Skidmore College.

Earning bronze medals were teams from Cornell University, The College of the Holy Cross, Middlebury College and St. Lawrence University.