Turning up the heat in the kitchen

CMC culinary competition team takes fourth at regional competition

This article first appeared in the Summit Daily News. By Jessica Smith.

he CMC competition team, from left to right, Patrick Howely, Turner Papke, Christian Isaman, Matt Devine and Virginia King, after their victory at the state competition last ovember.
The CMC competition team, from left to right, Patrick Howely, Turner Papke, Christian Isaman, Matt Devine and Virginia King, after their victory at the state competition last ovember.

If you’ve ever watched a TV show like “Iron Chef” or “Top Chef,” then you’ve got an idea of what the atmosphere of a cooking competition is like. There’s tension, stress, some yelling, some crying, not to mention hot temperatures, sharp knives and, of course, the food itself.

The five members of the Colorado Mountain College culinary apprentice competition team know what it’s like better than most. That’s because they’ve recently come back from the ACF Western Regional convention, one of four regional conferences held every year by the American Culinary Federation (ACF).

The road to the regional conference started back in November, when the CMC team took the state title and a gold medal at the ACF state competition. They faced off against four tough competitors — the International Culinary for full article