"Mise en Place" Documentary to Premiere at SUNY Delhi

DELHI, NY (09/08/2012)(readMedia)-- "Mise En Place," a full-length film produced by Kent Garrett Productions, will premiere Friday, September 21, in The Okun Theatre in the Farrell Student and Community Center on the SUNY Delhi campus. The film chronicles Delhi students rise to national culinary champions.

The evening will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a red carpet arrival of the film's stars, Delhi's 2010 American Culinary Federation National Champions, and producer Kent Garrett. The screening will begin at 7 p.m. with a reception following in the Farrell Loft.

"Mise en Place," follows the five-member team through try-outs, the busy school year, and to the final competition. Viewers gain an in-depth look into the demanding and competitive world of high cuisine through the eyes of those just entering their careers as chefs.

"We hope the community will join us for this special occasion," said Chef Victor Sommo, who, along with Chefs Tom Recinella and James Margiotta, led the 2010 national champions to victory. "It will be our opportunity to celebrate the film as well as the culinary program's continued years of success."

Just this summer, SUNY Delhi's 2012 culinary team was named American Culinary Federation national champions, repeating the victory of the 2010 team and firmly securing the college's stature as a leader in culinary arts education.

Producer/Director Kent Garrett, with his assistant Jeanne Ellsworth, spent immeasurable time with the team. "Jeanne and I were there from tryouts in September, through the whole year, all the practices and problems and ups and downs. Sure, there were early mornings, all-nighters, and long drives but being there with those amazing young people was just so fascinating and inspiring. And it didn't hurt that we often got to eat the food!"

Garrett served as senior producer with the NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw and ten years before that was a producer with The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather. More recently, he was news director with WICZ-TV, a Fox affiliate station in Binghamton. During his journalism career, Garrett was honored with two news and documentary Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award as producer on the National Education Television series, "Black Journal." In addition, he has produced three hour-long, network documentaries for CBS Reports and has worked as news director in the award-winning WCVB-TV News and Public Affairs unit in Needham, Mass.

SUNY Delhi's culinary arts program has long been recognized as one of the best in the country. The program offers students a firm foundation from which to start their careers as culinary professionals. It progresses through basic skills dealing with Garde Manger, baking, sauces, stocks, etc., to the capstone course, Signatures by Candlelight, a full service, fine dining restaurant that is open to the public and operated by SUNY Delhi students. In addition to the core classes, there are numerous culinary electives offered to help each student customize their portfolio of education. Depending on their interest or direction in the field, students can choose from electives such as advanced meat cutting, culinary competition, advanced pastries and confections, and culinary sculpting, which uses 300-pound ice blocks made on campus by culinary students in the college's own ice sculpting lab.

"Mise en Place" was made possible by The MARK Project, a 501©3, which served as the fiscal sponsor. Production funding was provided by the A. Lindsay and Olive B. O'Connor Foundation, Inc., the Roxbury Arts Group, the New York State Council on the Arts, and private donors.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information about the film premiere, contact College Relations at 607-746-4520.