Staff Blog
On the scene at the San Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition
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| Drexel culinary student Rachel Orner plates her dish for the judges |
| Photo | Alexis Apfelbaum |
CP intern Alexis Apfelbaum was in the house at last night's San Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition. Held at Drexel University, the contest pitted two of that school's brightest culinary students against several other teams for the opportunity to participate in a national competition later this year.
Last night, the sixth annual San Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef competition ignited at Drexel University's Academic Bistro. Two of the school's best culinary students — Erik Silverman and Rachel Orner — faced off against teams from Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Culinary Institute and Charlotte's Johnson and Wales to create dishes to wow judges in the hopes of winning a chance to compete in Napa Valley for $10,000 and "work alongside famous chefs." (Officials weren't able to name any names.)
(Click photos to enlarge.)
The judges — luminaries like Matthew Levin of Lacroix, Mark Hibbs of Charlotte's Ratcliffe on the Green and WHERE Philadelphia food writer Beth D'Addono — sat with grim, hungry jaws, knives, forks and 16 bottles of San Pellegrino mineral water (the sponsor of the event) laid out in front of them. During the two-hour cooking portion of the competition, they observed the chefs in their kitchens, boiling, sweating onions, reducing champagne emulsions, fabricating lamb loins, detacking dough and mounting butter. If it sounds complicated, it looked even scarier — competitors, with stovetop flames sizzling in 12 different directions, heaved super-sharp knives into vegetables and proteins with a passion that screamed "at-risk fingertips."
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| Judges critique Orner's duck confit |
| Photo | Alexis Apfelbaum |
But there was no real reason to be worried — these student chefs have been preparing for their shot at fame for months now. Drexel senior Orner's mother, Pat, says that while the family watched the Super Bowl this past Sunday, her daughter was busy preparing duck confit with foie gras sauce and crispy leeks, an upscale dish that replaced their usual chicken wing halftime gnawfest. Orner got the idea for dish after a trip to Brussels.
In the kitchen, the judges looked for organization, cleanliness and a lack of panic — what Levin called "walking with a purpose." After the two-hour cooking period was up, competitors had exactly five minutes to plate their creations. Here, the panel judged on taste, texture and continuity on the plate.
It's safe to say that the judges were sticklers. The presented plates were pored over like models on Project Runway � you could hear them asking, in clipped tones, "Well, what was this dressed with?" or "Why doesn't my plate have leeks?" as they deposited dime-size morsels into their mouths. While the judges chewed, the audience craned its collective neck to try to ascertain if a slight twist of the head was meant to indicate disgust or elation as the judges scribbled notes on scorecards.
"My heart was booming," said Orner, explaining how it felt to stand in a traditional French toque, holding her plated dish in one hand and a microphone in other while she answered questions posed by the judges.
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| Drexel's Erik Silverman making ravioli |
| Photo | Alexis Apfelbaum |
When Silverman was asked where he acquired the eggs used in his ravioli dish, he had a quick-fire response. "I got them from this little organic farm," he offered. "My dad's their UPS man, so we got the eggs for free." Later, with cheeks as red as raw steak from the heat of the ovens, he pulled us aside to show off those special eggs — each of varying size, shape and hue, one resembling a golf ball while another looked like a Jurassic Park dinosaur egg. "How cool is that?" he asked. "That means they're really organic — straight from the farm."
Though the judges had their mouths full, the guests at the event were certainly not going hungry. At every step, in every room, one was presented with food, either laid out beckoningly on tables or thrust through the crowd on silver trays. But the highlight for many attendees was getting to sample the dishes that competitors had prepared. "[Orner's] duck just melted in my mouth," said Drexel professor Irv Schlanger, with the certainty you'd want your president to possess if he was declaring war.
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| The winning dish |
| Photo | Alexis Apfelbaum |
Silverman, who prepared coriander-dusted black sea bass with fennel and leek ravioli and ruby grapefruit-champagne emulsion, watched as the judges cleared their plates and smacked their lips. D'Addono even went so far as to exclaim that his sauce was "delicious." He was fairly sure of his victory — and to be honest, many others were, too. The young chef looked poised to wow the Almost Famous Chef hosts in Napa Valley — actress Lorraine Bracco and Top Chef season one winner Harold Dieterle.
But Silverman didn't win last night. He lost by .2 (.2!) points to Johnson and Wales' Heather Tidwell, who cooked up a grilled pork fillet with apple cider glaze, Yukon gold and sweet potato dauphinoise and candied red cabbage. The Virginian hotshot's smile lit up the room and she wielded her prizes: new knives, a brand-new cooking pan and the opportunity to make it big — in an immediate way — out in California.
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| The evening's winner — Johnson and Wales' Heather Tidwell |
| Photo | Alexis Apfelbaum |
"It's so gratifying to see these students put their heart and soul into this competition," said chef Charles Ziccardi, director of Drexel's Goodwin College Culinary Arts program, as he watched the applause die down. "It's nerve-racking and its painful and it's wonderful. It's every emotion that they're going to go through in their professional lives."
As for Tidwell, the timing was perfect for a celebration — at midnight, she turned 21.
Great article, but Rachel turned 21 last July.
Wonderful article! Thank you for your attention to Rachel, our family, and Drexel’s involvement. One thing, Rachel did not turn 21 yesterday, but the gal who won did!!!
pjo
Richojr:
Edited to clarify — Heather Tidwell turned 21 at midnight, not Rachel Orner. Thank you for the catch.
While we are relatives by marriage , I always knew that Pat raised two wonderful girls . I;m glad to see Rachel excel in something she so loves !
Way to go Rachel! Pat and Rich I know you are so proud!
UNCLE BO & AUNT JAN SEZ RACHEL IS A SHINNING STAR THAT ALWAYS STAYS BRIGHT..CONGRATS TO YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS…KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!
Congratulations Rachael! What a wonderful experience for you! I could almost taste your fantastic dish! Go for your dreams! We will all soon be enjoying your creativity and delicious creations!
Heather Tidwell is a South Carolinian, not Virginian. But good article otherwise. Way to go Heather. Proud of you! Joe
Heather, you make your mother proud! Love, Mom
Heather - Keep it up! You are doing great! Love ya, Renee’
Way to go Rachel!!! We are very proud of you, for many reasons. Follow your dreams (and be sure to invite us as tasters!!!).