Kendall College School of Culinary Arts student Jennifer Kim won the title of North Central Regional S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef at the fast-paced, high-pressure cooking competition held at Kendall on Jan. 18, 2012.
Kim, a native of Schaumburg, Illinois, impressed the panel of judges with her creative signature recipe for chard-rolled duck roulade. Now she advances to the finals competition to be held in Napa Valley, California, March 9-12.
This is the third consecutive year a Kendall student has won the regional competition.
Kim competed against students representing culinary-arts programs at five institutions in the North Central Region in an intense competition judged by local media and celebrity chefs Jean Joho of Everest, Joncarl Lachman of HB Home Bistro, Chris Macchia of Coco Pazzo, and David Posey of Blackbird.
Kim was announced the winner before an enthusiastic audience of local media, chefs, and invited guests during the tasting reception.
“Winning the competition is truly an honor,” Kim says. “The competition gave me the opportunity to connect with chefs I look up to, and it was great being able to receive critiques and pointers from the kitchen and chef judges.”
At the 10th annual finals in March, Kim will compete against nine other regional winners from across the United States and Canada in front of a panel of food media, distinguished guests, and renowned chefs during a three-day cookoff.
The overall winner will take the title, up to $22,000 in prizes, and a paid apprenticeship from one of the participating chef judges.
“Jennifer is continuing Kendall College’s winning streak with the S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef North Central Regional Competition,” says Renee Zonka, RD, CEC, CHE, dean of the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts.
“The pressure will be on as she defends the national title at the finals. We’ll all be rooting for her in Napa Valley, but no matter how she fares, we’re extremely proud of Jennifer for representing Kendall College’s leadership in culinary arts education.”
