CIM Port Huron Spring 2021 ACF Sanctioned Competition Student Competitors
MUSKEGON and PORT HURON, Mich. – More than 35 student chefs and nine instructors from both the Muskegon and Port Huron, Mich. campuses of the Culinary Institute of Michigan (CIM), a division of Baker College, earned a variety of honors at three recent American Culinary Federation (ACF) sanctioned competitions. The live, in-person competitions were held, with strict COVID safety practices and protocols in place, on April 17 and April 24, 2021 at CIM Muskegon and Port Huron, respectively, and at Dorsey Culinary Academy in Roseville, Mich. in March 2021.
At ACF sanctioned competitions, chefs compete for their own individual honors, not head-to-head against other chefs, and are judged on a variety of criteria, including: safety and sanitation, craftsmanship, technical skill, utilization of product, taste and nutritional balance. Those competitors who score high enough, are awarded a bronze, silver or gold medal, as warranted. Collectively, across the three recent ACF competitions, the more than 35 students from CIM Port Huron and CIM Muskegon together earned a total of 43 medals, including 15 gold. The nine competing faculty chef instructors also all earned medals for their competitive performances.
For a complete list of competition medalists from CIM Port Huron and Muskegon, please see the following summary:
March 13 and 14 Dorsey Culinary Academy Competition Winners:
Student Competitors:
- Nicholas Cadena – Gold Medal
- Kristin Balis – Silver Medal
- Christina Curtis – Gold Medal
- Hannah Denys – Gold Medal
- Mason LaDouce – Gold Medal
- Evan Sandvig – Silver Medal
- Allison Walters – Gold Medal
- Cody Williams – Bronze Medal
- Melinda (Mindy) Wiseman – Silver Medal and Gold Medal
April 17 CIM-Muskegon Competition Winners:
Student Competitors:
- Allison Walters – Gold Medal
- Megan Allen – Bronze Medal
- Emily Sweet – Bronze Medal
- Christina Curtis – 2 Gold Medals
- Jaylene Tarkkanen – 2 Gold Medals
- Hannah Denys – Silver Medal
- Michael Daniels – Silver Medal
- Anna Hoffman – Silver Medal
- Dominic Lee – Silver Medal
- Nicholas Cadena – Silver Medal
- Connor Ward – Bronze Medal
Faculty Competitors:
- Justin Kinziger – Bronze Medal
April 24 CIM-Port Huron Competition Winners:
Student Competitors:
- Austyn Polker – Bronze Medal
- Emily Rozema – Silver Medal
- Steven Stempnik – Silver Medal
- Maggie Brownrigg – Silver Medal
- Samantha Hecht – Gold Medal
- Kindi Dietz – Silver Medal
- Alexis Baker – Silver Medal
- Maya Van Buskirk – Gold Medal
- Kristin Balis – Bronze Medal and Silver Medal
- Gabrielle Waderlow – Bronze Medal and Silver Medal
- Mason LaDouce – Gold Medal
- Cody Williams – Silver Medal
- Alicia Walker-Flounory – Bronze Medal
- Hailey Shackelford – Silver Medal
- Serra Sullivan – Gold Medal
- Jenna Dyc – Gold Medal
- Isabella Bachi – Silver Medal
- Evan Sandvig – Silver Medal
Faculty Competitors:
- Kassie Beach – Silver Medal
- Michael Skalba, CEC – Bronze Medal
- Nicholas Cornfield, CEC – Gold Medal
- Scott Twichell, CEPC – Bronze Medal
- Karlee Valley, CWPC – Silver Medal
- Jessica Hazel – Bronze Medal
- Samantha Joslin – Bronze Medal
- Ashley King – Silver Medal
The competition at CIM Muskegon was juried by: Lead Judge, Chef Alan Neace, CEC, AAC, Chef Victor Sommo, CEC, ACF Student Competition Chair and Chef Christopher Allen Tanner, CEC, CCE, AAC. The competition held at CIM Port Huron, known as the Annual Roland E. Schaeffer Culinary Classic, was juried by: Lead Judge, Chef Frank Costantino, EdD, CEC, CCE, CCA AAC, Chef Neace and Chef Eric Pellizzari, CEC, CCE, AAC.
“Each of the competitions were an exciting day of cooking and camaraderie,” said Baker College’s Dean of Culinary, Chef Tom Recinella, CEC, AAC, HGT. “The results are fantastic, of course, but also the opportunity to showcase that, with strict attention to safety practices and protocols, it is possible to compete again…and what wonderful competitions they were.”
The CIM teams host and compete in ACF sanctioned competitions annually, in addition to various state, regional and national ACF competitions.
For an inside look into the Spring 2021 CIM ACF Sanctioned Competitions, visit our YouTube Channel.
About Baker College
Founded in 1911, Baker College is Michigan’s largest, private nonprofit college and the top private transfer school in the state. Baker College has multiple on-ground campus locations and two affiliate sites across the state, as well as an online global campus offering more than 40 academic program options for both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Learn more at www.baker.edu or follow Baker College on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About Culinary Institute of Michigan
The award-winning Culinary Institute of Michigan, a division of Baker College, offers associate degree programs focused on some of the fastest-growing areas of food service. CIM students, who can study culinary arts, baking and pastry or food and beverage management, learn from experienced industry professionals and develop technical skills through intensive hands-on training in world-class culinary facilities. Student chefs also gain real-world experience working at Courses, a teaching restaurant, open to the public and located on each CIM campus. For more information on Baker College and the Culinary Institute of Michigan, visit www.baker.edu or follow Baker College on Twitter and Facebook.