UVU Culinary Arts Student Named Best in Nation

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University Marketing & Communications: Layton Shumway | 801-863-6863 | LShumway@uvu.edu
Written by: Jim McCulloch | 801-863-7004 | Jim.McCulloch@uvu.edu
Madeline Black, a first-year student at Utah Valley University’s Culinary Arts Institute, was named the nation’s Student Chef of the Year at the American Culinary Federation’s national convention held in Orlando, Florida, July 8-13th.
Black, a sophomore from Provo, becomes the second straight national champion from UVU’s Culinary Arts Institute. Last year, UVU’s Michelle Stephenson won the same title, the first in UVU history.
“Nobody expected UVU to do what we have done,” exclaimed Chef Todd Leonard, department chair of UVU’s Culinary Arts Institute. “From not knowing who we were just a couple years ago, to having back-to-back national champions. This has just put UVU on the culinary map to stay. We have suddenly become one of the most intriguing places in the culinary world.”
As one of five regional winners, Black had only 90 minutes to prepare a world-class dish that would impress a team of seasoned top-level chefs. Each competitor came up with their own recipes utilizing an ingredient list given to them just a few weeks earlier. This year’s list was built around duck as the main protein. Black’s final winning menu consisted of truffle-scented duck roulade finished in duck fat, with Utah honey lacquered duck thigh-riblet, pan seared foie gras with port and morel mushroom sauce, accompanied by potatoes gratin, celeriac and pea puree, with rhubarb chutney and summer vegetable medley.
“This is really a dream come true,” said Black. “I was breezing along, and then the last 10 minutes things just weren’t coming together like I’d practiced a hundred times, and it got a little crazy. But the judges said they were very impressed with the complicated dish I created and I think that’s what ...

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