SUNY Delhi Culinary Team is New York's Finest for 11th Time

DELHI, NY (04/03/2012)(readMedia)-- SUNY Delhi's culinary team captured the American Culinary Federation's New York State Championship on Saturday, March 17, making this the 11th time Delhi has earned the title.

Delhi beat four teams in a close competition, including the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). The top three teams ranked within a one-point span, all earning gold medals-Delhi placed first, the CIA second, and Monroe College third. Schenectady Community College and the Monroe College B team each earned silver medals.

"The competition this year was one of the best I have seen since I started coaching teams in New York in 2000," said Tom Recinella, program director of Delhi's culinary arts. "Our team worked hard to be recognized on this level given the high caliber of competition. This shows that we are ranking with the best. We are now setting our sights on the Northeast Region Championship." Recinella and Victor Sommo, instructor and graduate of the program, coach the Delhi team.

The Delhi team members include: Matt Howard, captain, of Whitesboro; Stephanie Wickert of Liverpool, Jimmy Russell of New Hartford, Ed Maley of Rochester, and Lenny Messina of Farmingdale.

The menu included: seared red snapper with fruits de mere squid ink, gnocchi parisenne and a tomato saffron sauce; a salad of apples, beets and baby greens with truffle vinaigrette; the required classical dish of chicken écarlate; and a dessert of passion fruit mousse with pistachio financiers.

Delhi's state champions now advance to the ACF's Northeast Region Championship in Niagara Falls on April 29 where they will compete against other state winners.

SUNY Delhi's culinary arts program is regarded as one of the best in the country. The program offers students a firm foundation in 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.