The Art of the Plate: CIC's Own Joe Branton Wins Peoples' Choice Award at Nestles Waters Competition!

Saturday, March 14, 2009

CIC's Own Joe Branton Wins Peoples' Choice Award at Nestles Waters Competition!

March 7th, 2009
Congratulations to CIC student Joe Branton, who brought home the Peoples' Choice Award from the Almost Famous Chef Competition! It was held by Nestles Waters at the Napa Valley branch of the Culinary Institute of America.

In February, Branton won the the Southeastern Regional division competition, which made him eligible to go to the finals. Keeping it true to home, Joe had created a dish of Pork Two Ways with Carolina Gold Risotto and Brussels Sprouts.

Culinary Department Head Michael Carmel and Chef Instructor Scott Stefanelli accompanied Branton to the competition. Thanks to Chef Stefanelli for the pictures above.

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What We're Reading

“Eating from the Ground Up”

Out just in time for the vegetables appearing at our farmers markets, Alana Chernila’s cookbook focuses on creatively using every root and leaf. While some of the recipes may be familiar concepts – think stuffed tomatoes – hers are packed with millet, basil, and parsley. Fried rice stars salmon, fennel, and Swiss chard stems. Roasted asparagus are sauced with a combo of butter, garlic, nutritional yeast, and tamari. Stone fruit, raw corn kernels, scallions, basil, and jalapeño make a cool salad for hot weather. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.

"Soul: A Chef's Culinary Evolution in 150 Recipes"

“This book is my homage to the cuisine of my family,” Chef Todd Richards writes in his autobiographical collection of essays and recipes. “These are the ingredients of my people. This is my sermon about my Soul food.”

Bringing accolades for his stints at Atlanta’s Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons, James Beard nominations, and, of course, his prowess at Southern cooking, Richards seasons the pot with a powerful bouquet of flavors as he pays his heritage forward. Collards cooked with ham hocks are accented with piquant pickled collard stems. Blueberries are found in fried pies; strawberries are plated with champagne aspic, whipped cream, and honey. Grilled peaches pair with radishes on toast spread with pimiento cheese. Sweet potatoes are layered with cauliflower and crab in a lush gratin.

"Soul food," Richards tells us, "is the original cuisine of the South, born from an involuntary collision of cultures."
Published by Southern Living. $35.