University chefs across West Coast compete for bragging rights

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — It was a scene straight out of any reality television contest. Four teams of chefs spread across mobile and outdoor cooking stations — moveable cooktops, multiple grills, a pantry on wheels — with the timer set at 90 minutes. Working with market baskets of prescribed, “must-use” ingredients, each team crafted three dishes for a four-course tasting menu to be served to a crowd of invited guests.

The only thing missing from this competition was, well, competition. No one had to pack their knives and go from this party. The foodie festivities at UC Santa Barbara were all in the name of good fun — and good eats.

“We just thought they’d all enjoy cooking together — and we knew people would enjoy tasting the results,” said Jill Horst, UCSB’s director of residential dining, whose staff hand-picked 20 student diners from entrants in an Instagram food photo contest.

The collaborative activity was the centerpiece of a robust menu of events for Pacific Chef Net 2015, a regional gathering of university chefs put on by the National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS). UCSB hosted the conference for the second time.

For three days, three dozen chefs representing 14 institutions from Washington state to Orange County gathered to dish on food and kitchen trends, swap stories and ideas, attend demos and presentations on subjects from poultry preparation to food truck technology and, of course, to cook.

As he grilled bacon and rehydrated raisins for a vinaigrette to dress a kale and persimmon salad, Joshua Trovato, an assistant kitchen manager for residential dining at University of Southern California, characterized the conference as “remarkable.”

“I didn’t know what to expect, but this has been amazing,” said Trovato, who joined USC last summer after working restaurants in New York City and Australia. “UC Santa Barbara has been very welcoming, opening things up for us. It’s a lot of fun being here and connecting with other university chefs. Restaurants are crazy, hustle and bustle, minute to minute. Residential dining is different. It’s three thousand kids a day. They’re hungry, they’re paying for it, and they deserve just as good as they get in the restaurants. And we give it to them. There is a misconception that school food is cafeteria food and not as good. That’s wrong.”