SUNY Delhi Students Win International Culinary Competition

SUNY Delhi Students Win International Culinary Competition

A team of culinary arts majors from SUNY Delhi won the gold medal at the Copa Culinaria 2018, an international culinary competition held in Santiago, Chile, from September 25 to 27. Students Carly Yezzo, Matthew Julius, and Dan Hess competed in the college division of the competition which also included teams from Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Venezuela, and Chile.Winning Culinary team displaying their dishes

"We were proud to represent SUNY Delhi and the USA so well," said Carly Yezzo, a junior. "We worked well together as a team and are thrilled to bring home this victory."

"These three students and their coaches exemplify the best of the best and we are immensely proud of their achievement," said Dr. David Brower, Dean of the School of Business & Hospitality Management. "Their focus, drive, and determination are stellar and reflect the caliber of education our students receive."

In the competition, each team was required to use salmon in the entree and quinoa in the dessert. Delhi's team crafted their dishes with an American flair, using multiple techniques in constructing the entree and featuring peanut butter and jelly in the dessert. Yezzo was responsible for the entree and Julius was in charge of the dessert, while Hess served as an alternate and assistant.

In their critiques, the judges praised Team Delhi's dishes for being perfectly cooked and seasoned with harmonious flavors.

The team began practicing their dishes at the beginning of the fall semester under the guidance of Chefs Victor Sommo and Sean Pehrsson. Sommo and Pehrsson, both instructors at SUNY Delhi, accompanied the students to Chile.

Upon arriving in Santiago, the team shopped local markets for the ingredients in their recipes.

"There were some challenges along the way, but the students adjusted well to working in an unfamiliar environment," said Chef Pehrsson. "We are so proud of what they were able to accomplish in this competition. The camaraderie we built with the teams from the other countries was wonderful. Santiago is a beautiful city and we are so fortunate to have been able to represent SUNY Delhi and the United States here."

"We worked hard and gave it our best. It paid off," said junior Matthew Julius. "Chile has been an experience we'll never forget."

The Culinary Cup is Chile's most important gastronomic competition. It is designed to recognize and support those who represent the future of the culinary industry. The competition was held in conjunction with the Fair Food and Service Fair. SUNY Delhi is the only SUNY institution to have won two Copa Culinaria competitions. The first was in Costa Rica in 2016.

SUNY Delhi's culinary arts program has long been recognized as one of the best in the country. In the last decade, Delhi students have won more than 500 individual and team medals, including multiple ACF state, regional, and national titles. Most recently, Delhi student Julio Chavez won the title of ACF National Student Chef of the Year 2018 in New Orleans, LA.

Learn more about the Culinary Arts programs at SUNY Delhi: