October's People profiles

The culinary team at Riderwood, a retirement community in Silver Springs, Md., recently earned first place at the 46th annual Maryland Seafood Festival’s Crab Soup Cook-Off. The Riderwood team faced off against 16 restaurants in the cook-off, which featured the Chesapeake Bay’s famous blue crabs. The Riderwood team won first place for its entry in the Best Vegetable Crab category (People’s Choice). The team also earned second place in the Best Cream of Crab (People’s Choice) and Best Vegetable Crab (Judge’s Choice) categories. “The Maryland Seafood Festival provides the perfect venue for Team Riderwood to showcase our culinary skills in front of a statewide audience,” says Victor Cirrincione, executive chef. “For us, the Crab Soup Cook-Off has evolved into a tradition, a rite of passage for the different culinary professionals who join this competition. It’s especially rewarding to win the People’s Choice Award because hundreds of guests with different tastes agreed that our vegetable crab soup was the best.”

Pictured from left to right: Willie Wanzer (chef de cuisine), Demetreus Wills (sous chef), Derrick Gregg (chef de cuisine), Evroy Wright (chef de cuisine), Victor Cirrincione (executive chef) and Carlos Gauna (chef de cuisine).

What is your other passion—something you enjoy doing when you’re not working?

I enjoy going on leisurely walks with my dachshunds, which usually end at a dog-friendly coffee house for a well-deserved treat for both me and the dogs. I also enjoy gardening. I am patiently waiting for my tomatoes to ripen and cucumbers to grow. In the meantime, it is fun to explore farmers’ markets as I enjoy preparing and eating the wonderful fruits and vegetables that are available in the summer.
—Susan Glessner, R.D., director, food & nutrition, UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside, Pittsburgh 

From left: Patti E. Durrwachter, James F. Glenn, Aaron M. Silfies, Noelle B. Bloom, Lee R. Whittingon Sr. and Krystal S. Zelazny.

To celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day (Yes, there is such a thing), the culinary department at Pennsylvania College of Technology, in Williamsport, hosted a Talk Like a Pirate…Eat Like a Pirate event in the Capital Eatery residential dining hall. The event featured a Caribbean-themed menu, a dessert “island,” pirate trivia and a demonstration by the Williamsburg Fencing Club. The menu included Jack Sparrow jerk chicken, Pearls of the Sea mini crab cakes, spicy mango salad and spiced banana rum cupcakes. Dining services staff also dressed the pirate part. 

What was the best team-building activity you’ve done recently with your staff?  

This summer we hosted a “Chopped” style cooking competition for our chefs. We hosted the event at the Columbus Culinary Institute (CCI). During round one, the chef contestants had one hour to complete their plate using mystery basket ingredients. The plates were judged by the CCI culinary instructors. The top two finalists from the first round (there were two weeks of round one competition) advanced to the finals. During the finals, the four chef contestants were given 90 minutes to complete their plates, which were judged using official ACF rules. The energy, passion and creativity of our staff was on display!
—Julie Jones, foodservice director, Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus