Three Nicolet Area Technical College (NATC) students swept the Cold Plate Competition portion of the 2008 College Student Culinary Arts Competition held this March in Milwaukee.  NATC students took first, second and third place in the competition, Ellen White was awarded first place and a gold medal, Michael Edlund won second place and a gold medal and Brice Ruppert was awarded third place and a silver medal.

The College Student Culinary Arts Competition consists of 2 unique competitions for students, the College Team Hot Food Competition and the Cold Plate Competition.  Both portions of the competition are held by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association Education Foundation to give students the opportunity to exercise their culinary skills and showcase their talents. 

Approximately 20 students from five Wisconsin technical colleges participated in the
Cold Plate competition, which is part of the Wisconsin Restaurant Expo, Wisconsin’s
largest foodservice industry trade show.  Medals and cash prizes were given to the overall first, second and third place competitors.

Using beef or veal as the meat for their entrée, students designed and presented beautifully plated meals that were judged by experienced chefs from around Wisconsin. Judges used a 100-point scale to evaluate each plate and awarded gold, silver and bronze medals to the top-ranking entries.  Cash prizes were also awarded to the first, second and third place competitors.

The Wisconsin Beef Council and the Veal Committee of the Wisconsin Beef Council sponsored this year’s College Student Culinary Arts Competition.

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Since 1933, the Wisconsin Restaurant Association has been dedicated to the promotion, protection and improvement of the foodservice industry.  The Wisconsin Restaurant Education Foundation’s mission is to promote food service as a professional career path; attract and educate future industry leaders; and provide quality training for those already working in the industry.