Monroe College, a national leader in urban and international education, today announced that students from its Culinary Arts program were awarded the coveted Marc Sarrazin Cup, the top honor at the 146th Salon of Culinary Art competition held this past weekend at the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS) in New York. This is the third Marc Sarrazin Cup that Monroe has won in the past four years and the second consecutive victory.
The Marc Sarrazin Cup is awarded each year to the culinary team judged to perform the best overall in the competition, as determined by the level of technical skills and creative artistry reflected in the submitted entries’ preparation and presentation. The Salon of Culinary Art competition is hosted annually by the Société Culinaire Philanthropique, the oldest membership association of professional chefs, bakers, and pâtissiers in the U.S.; it was founded in 1865 by several noted French culinarians. This year’s competition was held November 9-11 during the IHMRS convention at New York’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
“Receiving the Marc Sarrazin Cup again this year is an incredible honor, and one that our entire team and staff is extremely proud of,” said Frank C. Costantino EdD CEC CCE AAC, Dean of Monroe College’s School of Hospitality Management and the Culinary Arts. “We continue to compete against some very talented, top-notch culinary teams who never cease to present us with a formidable challenge. The time and dedication that our students devoted to preparing for this competition is truly remarkable, and exemplifies the focus and determination exhibited by much of the student population at Monroe.”
Monroe’s team won the top honor with its presentation of decorative platters of meat, seafood and poultry, a festive “poularde” and a tallow sculpture, in addition to its confectionery pieces ranging from chocolate sculptures and sugar showpieces to small chocolate cakes and a wedding cake. Participating in the competition from Monroe were a tabletop design team of 6 students, a confectionery team of 11 students, a cold food team of 5 students, and several alumni students and faculty members from Monroe’s School of Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts.
Since 2009, Monroe College’s culinary arts program has won 527 awards, with more than 25 medals at the state level. Earlier this month, Monroe won the American Culinary Federation (ACF) 2015 New York State Championship culinary competition. Taught by a faculty of experienced industry professionals, many of whom are certified by the American Culinary Federation, students gain valuable instruction and mentoring in a real-world culinary environment. For more information on the school and its critically acclaimed student-run restaurant, The Dining Lab.