Johnson & Wales University Students, Alumni Win Trip to Australia in
Third Annual Taste Down Under Competition
MIAMI — May 19, 2004 — As the winners of the third annual Taste Down Under Competition at Johnson & Wales University, two students and two alumni will each spend two weeks in Australia this summer. The trip encompasses sightseeing, sampling Australian produce and wine, and working with Australian chefs in New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory.
Now in its third year, the competition was open to Johnson & Wales students, faculty and alumni. Participants were required to submit an original recipe using Australian Boneless Leg of Lamb; Wattleseed, an indigenous Australian spice; or one of three featured seafoods: Western Australian Rock Lobster, Royal Tasmanian Salmon, and Western Australian Tiger Prawns. The winners are:
· Australian Lamb – students: Olga Novak, a sophomore at the Norfolk Campus, for her “Asian Barbeque Lamb Wrap.”
· Australian Lamb – faculty/alumni: Robert Meitzer, an instructor at the Denver Campus, for his “African ‘Yassa’ Style Leg of Lamb” and “Smoked Roasted Leg of Australian Lamb.”
· Dessert from the Desert – students: Lasheeda Perry, a freshman at the Providence Campus, for her “Wattleseed Bavarian Cream and Mango Chutney.”
· Surf to the Turf - faculty/alumni: Tobias Cox, an alumnus from the Providence Campus who currently works at the Portofino Resort in Orlando, Fla., for his “Salt Baked Rock Lobster, Avocado Mango Salad, and Ginger Tomato Iced Tea.”
Competition finalists gathered for the Grand Final Cook Off on Saturday, April 30, and prepared their dishes for a panel of judges including: Mitchell Berman, fleet culinary performance specialist, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines; Linda Bladholm, columnist, The Miami Herald; Deborah Hartz, food editor, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel; Colin Hay, singer/songwriter; Anthony Mansollilo, chef de cuisine, Quinn’s; Dean Max, executive chef, 3030 Ocean; Stephen Pocock, trade/marketing manager, North America, Meat & Livestock Australia; Nancy Powell, culinary reviews/special columnist, “Entertainment News & Views”; and Mark Woodcock, corporate executive chef, Norwegian Cruise Lines.
The Awards Dinner, held at the Miami Conrad Hotel, featured a menu developed by Australian Chef Athol Wark, who was visiting the U.S. on an International Specialized Skills Fellowship. The courses were paired with Aquila Wines from Western Australia and the evening was made more memorable by a special guest appearance by Colin Hay, former lead singer of Men at Work. Not only did Hay perform some of the classic songs from Men at Work days and his newer critically acclaimed solo work, he also joined Wark in the kitchen to help plate the Gazpacho Soup infused with Bush Tomato Oil topped with Western Australian Lobster. Hay also took over the prep table and made a vegemite sandwich (later auctioned off for charity).
The Taste Down Under Culinary Competition — and its related events — promotes Australian cuisine and culture in America. Major sponsors for this year’s event include Meat and Livestock Australia, Australia’s National Food Industry Strategy Group, The Government of Australia’s Northern Territory, Austrade, Diliji, Aquila Wines, Beefeater BBQs, and Furi Knives. Taste Down Under is a U.S.-based organization co-founded by Perth ex-pat David Doepel. For more information, visit www.tastedownunder.com.
Johnson & Wales — America’s Career University® – was founded in 1914. It is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business, food service, education, hospitality and technology. Preparing students for successful careers is the cornerstone of the University’s educational philosophy. A benchmark of the University has been its 27 consecutive year employment record - within 60 days of graduation, 98 percent of its students from the 50 states have jobs in their chosen career field. With an enrollment of more than 16,000 students, Johnson & Wales maintains campuses in Providence, R.I., Charleston, S.C., Norfolk, Va., North Miami, Fla., and Denver, Colo. In September 2004, it opened its newest campus in Charlotte, N.C. For more information about Johnson & Wales University, visit www.jwu.edu.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Meredith Moore, publicist, at 401-598-2206 (mmoore@jwu.edu); or Jordan Fickess, director of Communications, at 305-892-7551 (jfickess@jwu.edu). Electronic photos are available.
Chef2Chef News Desk