FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2007
Contact: Joshua Hollis
(662) 329-7119

MUW culinary students place second at National Culinology Competition
 
COLUMBUS, Miss. – Four Mississippi University for Women culinary arts students placed second in the National Culinology Competition at the Research Chefs Association Annual Conference in New Orleans.
   
Senior Vimukti Goswami, who served as the team leader, juniors Leslie Beach and Nick Seaburgh, and team alternate Laura Farrell were awarded $2,500 for their achievements.
   
First place went to the University of Cincinnati, while Cornell University finished third.
   
Dr. Jim Fitzgerald, director of MUW’s Culinary Arts Institute, said, “I’m very proud of them. It was a close competition and they represented themselves and MUW . . . with distinction and class.”
   
To be selected as one of the three finalists, MUW’s team had to submit a restaurant concept menu inspired by the cuisine of Spain for a fictitious casual dining chain with 600 locations throughout the United States. The students worked long hours to complete their project and turn it in by the deadline, occasionally working during the holiday season.

During the competition, the students had to create their entrée onsite, which was then judged against a frozen entrée the team sent as part of their initial submission.

Fitzgerald likened the competition to the television program “Iron Chef.”

“The students achieved what they set out to do . . . I was just so happy with the results,” Fitzgerald said.