UNCW Dining Executive Chef Ryan Andress represented the Wilmington area last week and has now earned the gold medal at the Aramark Collegiate Hospitality and Harvest Table Culinary Excellence Competition.
Eight chefs from regional Aramark campuses met in Texas to compete for the national title at the Culinary Institute of America in San Antonio. For the competition, they were asked to create four innovative menu items from a mystery basket. It included a whole chicken, shrimp, pork belly and two red snappers, as well several miscellaneous ingredients like sunchokes, queso fresco, dried apricots and baby romaine lettuce. Andress said he had to make four courses in four hours for four judges, under very hot conditions.
His dishes included adobo roasted shrimp with apricot-tomatillo chow chow, a beef and black bean soup, a Texas Summer Salad with grilled chicken, avocado and strawberries, and -- finally -- Red Snapper Escabeche with sunchoke-sweet potato hash.
“It was an honor to represent the UNCW community, my team and my family while showcasing my culinary skills at a national level,” Andress said in a press release. “I am very thankful for the experience and will continue to strive for excellence through any challenge.”
In April, Andress was one of 20 chefs in the regional competition. He won for showcasing his skills using local black sea bass provided by UNCW Center for Marine Science. Andress also won the local and national competitions in 2019.
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Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her ataballard@gannett.com.
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