Chefs of Grey Poupon culinary competition results

Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) student Kamal Rose (above left, with Dave Wilcox of Kraft Foodservice) was awarded a $20,000 culinary scholarship by Kraft Foodservice for winning the 2009 Chefs of Grey Poupon Student Culinary Competition, held on May 6, 2009, at the Chopping Block in downtown Chicago. Rose won the grand prize with his original recipe, Crisp Chicken Duo with Dijon and Hazelnut Crust, Morel Jus Lié, Baby Beets, Wilted Greens and Fines Herbes Salad (pictured below), and his surprise Mystery Basket Challenge dish, Cheese Bacon Crumble.

Now in its fourth year, the Chefs of Grey Poupon program was developed to celebrate the accomplishments of chefs who embody the spirit of culinary creativity and to spread the inspiration of Grey Poupon mustard (see previous post on Stirrings, the blog for CET's sister publication Chef Magazine). A student culinary competition was added to the program three years ago to inspire the great chefs of tomorrow, and to strengthen the partnerships Kraft Foodservice has with the nation’s top culinary schools. The judges for the student competition were the three 2009 Chefs of Grey Poupon: Tim Curci, co-founder of Bonefish Grill; Christopher Cristiano, corporate executive chef of Fox Restaurant Concepts; and Lenny Scranton, CEC, vice president of culinary of Morrison Healthcare Food Services.

Rose, who will start his second year at ICE in New York City in July 2009, moved to Brooklyn, N.Y., from the tiny island of St. Vincent in the Caribbean when he was 15 years old. During high school, Rose participated in a four-month externship at Tribeca Grill, which five years later led to his current position as sous chef at the restaurant under executive chef Stephen Lewondowski.

(l to r) Kamal Rose presents his winning dish to Christopher Cristiano, Lenny Scranton and Tim Curci, the competition judges and 2009 Chefs of Grey Poupon.

“The $20,000 scholarship from Kraft Foodservice makes a big difference in my future,” Rose said in a recent press release. “I can focus on getting the most out of my classes at school and receiving the education that will allow me to achieve my dreams.”

Three other culinary students from top culinary schools across the nation also went home with scholarship prizes: Dion Jumapao, a first-year student at Kendall College, received a $5,000 scholarship for second place; Roy Sloan, a first-year student at The Culinary Institute of America, took third place and a $3,000 scholarship for his recipe; and fourth-year Johnson & Wales University student William Long took fourth place and a $2,000 scholarship for his recipe.

For more details about the Chefs of Grey Poupon program--the 2009 chefs, student winners and original recipes--please visit www.chefsofgreypoupon.com.