Four Morrisville State College culinary arts students recently attended the New York State Beef Industry Council Culinary Beef Tour and Competition in Canandaigua.
The students: Samantha Whittaker, of Brookfield; Kelly Thorn, of Cazenovia; Emily Cirbus, of DeRuyter; and Ariell Mack, of Amityville; attended the beef tour, which included stops at the Culinary and Wine Center and Wilson Beef Farm in Canandaigua.
They also toured the USDA processing plant, farm store and the cattle feed lot at Wilson Beef Farm and participated in seminars on food service trends, uses of GMO’s, restaurant nutrition guidelines and beef brands blind tasting.
The students also competed in a beef cook-off. They were tasked with breaking-down a whole boneless rib-eye steak into two separate cuts, with which they created six portions of an appetizer and six portions of an entrée. In addition to their culinary skills, the students were judged on their management skills, as they were asked to submit a breakdown of their food item costs. They also created a menu description, which included alternative options for guests with nutritional and allergen considerations.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the food they produced,” said Kerry Beadle, associate professor and chair of the college’s Hospitality Department.