The American Culinary Federation-certified competition begins at 6:15 a.m. Each chef has 15 minutes to set up their kitchen workspaces, and then they receive a protein that until that moment is a mystery to them. Once they know their proteins (such as fish, chicken, shrimp, beef, etc.), the chefs each have 15 minutes to write an entrée-only menu, using items from a provided pantry.
The chefs then have one hour to prepare four plates of the described menu item. At the end of one hour there is a 15-minute window when the chefs plate the food and present it to three ACF-certified judges.
The top finisher will earn $500, second place gets $300, and third place goes home with a check for $200. Also, every competitor is trying to earn enough points to take home a gold, silver or bronze ACF medal.
Wednesday’s competition schedule is:
| Chef Name
| Start time
|
| Larry Carl
| 6:15 a.m.
|
| Mike Gadson
| 6:30 a.m.
|
| Bradley Labarre
| 6:45 a.m.
|
| Ernest Bledsoe
| 7 a.m.
|
| Danny Smith
| 8:15 a.m.
|
| Mathieu Belzile
| 8:30 a.m.
|
| Danny Cerqueda
| 8:45 a.m.
|
| Richard Hartnett
| 9 a.m.
|
| Ron Andrews
| 10:15 a.m.
|
| Nicholas Huckabee
| 10:30 a.m.
|
| Corbett Rourk
| 10:45 a.m.
|
| Roxanne Mills Trent
| 11 a.m.
|
| Robert Wysong
| 12:15 p.m.
|
| Ward Morgan
| 12:30 p.m.
|
| Tom Mullally
| 12:45 p.m.
|
| Taylor Montgomery
| 1 p.m.
|
| Paul M. Mangiofico
| 2:15 p.m.
|
| Robert Beuth
| 2:30 p.m.
|
The final competitor, Robert Beuth of the Carriage House Club at Litchfield Plantation, is also going to compete in April in Alabama in the ACF Southeast Chef of the Year competition against three other chefs. In recent months he has taken first place at ACF competitions in Charleston and Florida.
Also during the US Foodservice show, many of the company’s foods, products and services will be on display. One of their newest services is OIL2.0, a commercial kitchen oil recycling program.
Used oil is poured directly into special 5-gallon cans via a provided easy-to-install flexible pipe. When the can is full the lid is replaced, and then the can may be carried safely and cleanly through the kitchen and stored until it is picked up and replacement cans are provided. The system is so clean the cans can even be stored right in the kitchen on appropriate shelving units.
Restaurants are paid a small amount of money quarterly for the used oil.
Local restaurant and hotel industry employees are welcome to attend the US Foodservice show between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesday. The Myrtle Beach Convention Center is at the intersection of 21st Avenue North and Oak Street.
By Becky Billingsley, Myrtle Beach Restaurant News
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