Chef Elkhouri wins cooking contest
South Servery Executive Chef Roger Elkhouri won first place at the Performance Food Group Cold Salon April 13. He received a gold medal and $1,000. The competition, held in Austin, included 45 chefs.
Elkhouri spent 45 hours preparing for the 90-minute competition.
‘I wanted that gold medal so bad,’ Elkhouri said. ‘[Competing] is the most difficult thing you can do in cooking. It takes a lot of skill and patience.’
The competition required chefs to assemble a cold platter with at least eight portions, including a minimum of two protein items, two garnishes, a salad and a sauce.
Elkhouri prepared a Southwestern cold seafood platter that included roasted poblano pepper shrimp mouseline with crab and sweet red pepper puree wrapped in leeks; homemade king salmon gravlax; and ancho lobster roulade stuffed with whole lobster tail.
He also prepared a cucumber barrel filled with corn-and-black-bean salsa, miniature artichoke quarters stuffed with pico de gallo with a tortilla twist, and chayote squash poached in New Mexico red chili broth.
The salad was composed of tournee carrot, squash and zucchini with asparagus tips in a vinaigrette with cumin, Mexican oregano and shallot.
Elkhouri also made chipotle mayonnaise and a lemon-garlic-cilantro vinaigrette.
Elkhouri said he has prepared some of the dishes from the competition for formal on-campus dining events such as associates’ night and college night, with minor modifications.
‘It’s an honor for me to serve a gold-medal-winning plate to my students,’ Elkhouri said.
Elkhouri has entered competitions before but has never won first place, he said.
He earned several bronze medals in national competitions in 2003 and 2004.
In January, Elkhouri took second place at the Ben E. Keith food show in Conroe, Texas.
Rice’s food has improved since food preparation shifted from a central kitchen to the discretion of individual chefs about eight years ago, Residential Dining Manager Angela Riggs said.
This year, Rice, considered a small school, competed against 275 medium-size schools and was awarded a bronze medal for its menu at the American Culinary Federation’s national convention.
‘Overall, Rice is looked at as a contender as far as our food,’ Riggs said. ‘When we have people come, people are saying our food is … restaurant quality.’
Sid Richardson College Managing Chef Rick Schisser recently earned the title of certified chef de cuisine and won a silver medal in the National Association of College and University Food Service’s southern regional competition in North Carolina.
Schisser is now eligible for the national competition, held in New Orleans in July.
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