Pierpont CTC Cast Iron Cookoff

Chef Caleb Taylor and Sous Chef Joe Woods led the Pierpont Community & Technical College 2009 Cast Iron Cookoff at the Charleston Town Centre Marriott. The chefs' team was rounded out with eight non-professionals (including local journalist with Clarksburg Exponent Julie Perine and southern WV Fox TV personality Kennie Bass). Other team members included: Lisa Tanner, Melody Tanner, Ron Newcome, Elaina Bailey, Jill Murphy, and Kerri Niner. The group had one hour to prepare a four course meal.

Each of the dishes had to have at least one item prepared in cast iron and featured several local WV products. The four course menu included: Salad Course: Poached Egg and Frisee Salad with Truffle Vinaigrette, Appetizer: Trout with Shaved Almonds, Green Beans, and Thyme Preserved Oranges, Entree: Red Wine Braised Chicken with Button Mushrooms and Potatoes, Swiss Chard, Dessert: Waffles & Cream with Apples.

See more photos of the competition:

http://picasaweb.google.com/chefbrianfloyd/PierpontCTCCastIronCookoff2009#

MetroNews Radio:

http://www.wvmetronews.com/mediaplayer.cfm?storyid=28537

The Greenbrier's Master Chef Timmins works with Culinary Team

Pierpont's Culinary Team practiced with Master Chef Peter Timmins recently at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs. The team braved poor weather and treacherous roads to practice in The Greenbrier's Hemisphere kitchen. They worked on their four course menu in preparation for the ACF North East Regional to be held in Boston, MA February 5-10, 2009.

Team Coach Jay Mahoney, CEC said, "It was a great day, maybe one of the best of my career. The students learned so much in one day."

Fairmont Plans Cafe District

Chef Brian Floyd met with the Fairmont Urban Renewal Authority on Tuesday about the possibility of establishing a Cafe District for downtown. Pierpont's Culinary Arts program has for some time been looking into opening a student-operated bistro in downtown. The establishment of the Cafe District would help to collectively promote any restaurtants in Fairmont's downtown.

Pierpont has received a grant from the Charles M. & Mary D. Grant Foundation to create, brand, and market the Cafe District. The Culinary program plans to work with the City, the URA, Main Street Fairmont, the Marion County Chamber of Commerce, and the downtown restaurants to begin the work of establishing the new Cafe District.

Read more about the Cafe District here:
http://wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=49591 http://www.timeswv.com/local/local_story_007010445.html

Pierpont Culinary Wins State Championship

Members of the Pierpont Community & Technical Colleges’ Culinary Team competed in the state American Culinary Federation (ACF) WV Jr. Hot Food competition Monday, and earned a berth to the ACF Northeast Regional to be held in Boston, MA in February 2009.
Amanda Emerson, Ted Hastings, Joe White, Kellie Smith, Sarabeth Cox (alternate), Kristina Baker (alternate), and Coach Jay Mahoney, CEC went head-to-head with Marshall Community & Technical College in a one-day dual competition held in Beckley.
During Phase I of the competition teams competed in an 80 minute timed skills relay. Individually, the competitors performed one of four skills. Ted Hastings began the skills with precision vegetable cuts. He was followed by Kellie Smith who fabricated a whole chicken, and Joe White who filleted a Dover Sole. Amanda Emerson anchored the team by finishing under the 80 minute mark with her pastry skills.
First time team member, freshman Kellie Smith said, “At first I was nervous, but excited, and after the event it felt really good to know that our hard work had paid off. My teammates were really supportive, and helped me to keep my spirits up. The experience and energy of the event was really great.”
Phase II the team prepared a four course meal for four people. The menu included: the prescribed classical dish Paupiettes de Sole a la Trouvillaise; second course Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese Salad with Autumn Apple Vinaigrette; third course Roasted Saddle of Rabbit, Whipped Potatoes, Tourne Vegetable and Truffle Sauce; dessert Nutty Buckwheat Cake with White Chocolate-Mascarpone Mousse. The four person team had to prepare and serve the entire meal in 90 minutes.
The highly acclaimed judging panel for the event included two Master Chefs: Peter Timmins and John Johnstone and the former US Culinary Olympic Team Captain Keith Coughenour, CEC. Following the competition Kellie Smith said, “I liked the judges’ critique. They identified what I could improve upon. The judges showed me a technique that will make fabricating my chicken so much easier.”
Team Coach Jay Mahoney said, “This is an opportunity for the students to perform in an environment very similar to the Iron Chef show seen on Food Network. It also gives a new perspective for the definition of teamwork. I couldn’t be more proud of their efforts, now we’ll have elevate and perfect our dishes to compete at a regional level in Boston.”
Program Coordinator, Brian A. Floyd, CEC said, “It is a great testament to the teams’ effort. The students have been working very hard, and Jay Mahoney is just such an invaluable asset to our program.” The Pierpont Culinary Arts and Pastry & Baking Arts programs both received national accreditation earlier this year through the American Culinary Federation Accrediting Commission.









Team Members (l to r)Amanda Emerson, Joe White, Kristina Baker, Kellie Smith, Ted Hastings, Sarabeth Cox. Chef Mahoney pictured to right.

Pierpont Culinary Students Riding That Train

Pierpont students and chef instructor Jay Mahoney join the West Virginia ACF chapter for local fundraiser. Eight students from PC&TC cooked on the New River Train Excursion from Huntington, WV to Hinton, WV over the 24th and 25th of October. Over eleven hundred folks were taxied by 28 assorted railroad cars comprised from all over the country. Staffed by a variety of folks from abroad as well as locally. The 16 hour trip followed the CSX line traveling up the New River Gorge stopping in Hinton for a stroll through the street fair in celebration for the event. Culinary students from Marshall University, Mountain State University, Carver Career Center and Pierpont Community & Technical College joined together with ACF West Virginia chapter members to prepare the culinary delights for many of the travelers. PC&TC students involved were: David Carson, Ashley Gill, Rachael Harris, Joseph Woods, Kenny Poling, Jessica Dash, Lucinda Vance and Michael Cottingham.

Feast from the Fields

Chef Mahoney was recently featured as a guest chef in the "Feast from the Fields," dinner hosted by Gourmet on the Gorge.

Joy Marr, owner of Gourmet on the Gorge, has been living in West Virginia for the past 30 years as a professional outdoors woman, a caterer, innkeeper, and culinary tour guide. She has been working and cooking in the outdoors professionally for over 25 years. Her passion, enthusiasm, and love of the active lifestyle is evident in her fun and flavorful cooking, which explores the regional cuisines of Italy, Mexico and other far reaches as well as Appalachia and traditional Southern fare ~ E.W. Massey~

The menu started with a canapé created by guest Chef Jay Mahoney; just smoked WV trout served on a bit of toast with mustard aioli and sweet onion relish, alongside was the marinated goat milk Feta from farmers Darlene and Joe. These were served with a bright Riesling and a sturdy Goat du Rhone red (yes, we mean the pun!) down by the pond just before sunset.

Chef Mahoney's students at the Pierpont C&TC Culinary Program generously donated the pancetta, made from WV pigs, that we used in the sweet-n-sour dressing.

Read more about this really cool event...

http://www.gourmetonthegorge.com/feast10-11-08.htm

Bridges International 10th Anniversary Celebration

First year students: Joe Woods, David Pyles, Jessica Dash, Dave Carson, and Blayze Haught (not pictured) participated in a catered event celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Bridges International.

Bridges is a non-profit organization that supports and encourages missionaries around the globe. Bridges President, Thomas Aitken said, "This was one of our most successful events. The food was wonderful."