Randolph chef advances to national cooking competition

Randolph College’s top chef is heading to a national competition thanks to his culinary talent and improvisational skills.

Dave Wasson recently won the regional round of a contest called Aramark Culinary Excellence. (Aramark is the dining services company contracted by Randolph.) He competed against 15 other Aramark chefs from four different states to see who could quickly prepare a quality three-course meal using surprise ingredients—not unlike popular reality shows such as Chopped and Top Chef. He was one of three regional winners who will advance to the national Aramark contest in Orlando, Florida, in November 2012.

“I have taken part in this competition every year for the last six,” Wasson said. “My first year I placed third in my heat, and last year I took second, losing by less than a tenth of a point. That was a tough loss.

“Finally, this year, I broke through and made the national team. … I can’t begin to express how exciting it is to have achieved this accomplishment.”

In addition to winning a cooking contest, Dave Wasson also recently starred in this video about dining services at Randolph College.

In this year’s regional contest, Wasson was given a mystery basket with three ingredients. “In my basket I had Guinea fowl, red snapper, daikon radish, kiwi berries, and hard cider,” he said. He was given 15 minutes to write the menu, three hours to cook the meal, and 15 minutes to plate and serve the dishes.

Here are Wasson’s final masterpieces:

First Course

 Ricotta Gnocchi and Guinea Fowl Meatballs with Tomato Veloute and Basil Pistou (like a French cousin to pesto)









Second Course
Seared Red Snapper with Cider, Daikon and Pink Peppercorn Risotto, Haricot Vert and a Daikon and Herb salad with Cider Vinaigrette









Dessert

Ganache Enrobed Layer Genoise (sponge cake) with Chocolate Mouse and Coffee Whipped Cream and Kiwi Berry Gastrique








Wasson said the contest coordinators commented that his cooking and food presentation have improved since his first competition six years ago, and he said the change is obvious to him, too.

He is looking forward to the national contest. “Orlando will be a nice place to visit in November!” he said.

Read more about Wasson and his approach towards managing the kitchen at Randolph College in this Randolph magazine story.

Randolph chef and professor provide tips on making a local Thanksgiving Dinner

A couple of days ago we told you about Dave Wasson, executive chef for Randolph College's dining services, and John Abell, an economics professor, filming a news segment about buying local and eating locally-grown foods.

Here, you can watch Wasson and Abell in action. They talk about using local foods and how you can make Thanksgiving dinner using local ingredients.

You can read Wasson's recipes on WSET's website.

Watch video > > >

Randolph chef, economics professor film news segment on local foods

Randolph College Executive Chef Dave Wasson will make his TV premiere Thursday, November 16 at 5 p.m. on www.wset.com in Lynchburg.

Wasson recently filmed a cooking segment with Lauren Compton, a WSET reporter. The story will explore the locavore movement and why people should be concerned about where their food comes from. John Abell, a Randolph economics professor, will also be featured in the story offering expert commentary on the movement and the pros and cons associated with buying your food from mostly local sources.

Wasson, who works for Aramark Dining Services, the company contracted by Randolph College, spent time with Compton showing her several tasty, yet easy recipes for food using mostly local ingredients.

Watch WSET on Thursday to see what dishes they chose and the outcome! You might even get a recipe or two!