It was a common, straightforward mission that drew Hiland Dairy to Pulaski Technical College: How do we strengthen our community? The dairy has been a part of the local landscape for 153 years. Pulaski Tech follows right along with its goal of contributing to a strong community, says Mike Flagg, the dairy's general manager.
"Pulaski Tech is a gateway school for our local citizens to improve their stature and increase their family income, which in turn helps our community and helps our business," he says.
Flagg has taken the dairy's history with Pulaski Tech to heart and is serving as chairman of this year's Diamond Chef Arkansas competition, the eighth, which takes place Tuesday at the Statehouse Convention Center.
The cook-off between two local chefs -- the program somewhat follows TV's Iron Chef outline, wherein two chefs make their best dishes from surprise ingredients -- is hosted by the Pulaski Technical College Foundation. It began as a fundraiser for the school's culinary program, and shortly thereafter, finance its Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute. The dairy has been involved with almost all of the Diamond Chef competitions through sponsorships and donations, and is an institute contributor.
"Of course, we want to help introduce the new chefs to our dairy products and to cook with our dairy products, so being hand in hand with the culinary school was important."
While familiar with the culinary program, Flagg says this year the college's foundation -- its fundraising department -- invited him to learn more about the rest of Pulaski Tech, specifically, its new fine arts building, for which the biggest share of the profits from the cooking competition is earmarked this year.
When construction wraps up in the fall, the Center for Humanities and Arts will include a 500-seat theater, art studios, music labs and an art gallery.
As the school continues to grow, so does Diamond Chef. This year, the popular event, which is usually sold out, is moving to a larger venue, Governor's Halls III and IV of the Statehouse Convention Center. The move allows for the addition of at least 20 tables.
A cocktail hour will precede the dinner and include music, a silent auction, wine pull and photo booth.
Also new this year, artist Paula Jones will create a painting of a dairy cow to be auctioned during dinner.
Then there's the competition.
"I think kind of like iron sharpens iron, these guys take these opportunities to improve their skills and their creativity, and I guarantee you, they are learning from each other and at the same time improving their own techniques. So, as many of these cooking competitions we can have, it makes our local restaurant scene even better," Flagg says.
So who is competing?
"It's the best of the best in Arkansas, and we spend a year recruiting, taking nominations for chefs to compete, and we whittle it down by interviewing and going to the restaurants of the chefs and get to six," he says. "At that point we feel like we have the six best willing to compete."
The preliminary competition among the six took place March 31 in the kitchens of the culinary school. The final heat was between Elliot Jones, executive chef at YaYa's Bistro, and Justin Patterson, executive chef of Southern Gourmasian. Both chefs had high scores, with Patterson winning the final round by one-half of a point. Others competing this year were Billy Ginocchio, instructor at the school; Payne Harding with Cache Restaurant; Angela Nardi with Superior Bath House Brewery; and former Diamond Chef winner Jason Knapp.
Patterson recently opened a storefront downtown (having catered and run a food truck for a few years). He will go head to head with last year's winner, Marc Guizol of the Capital Hotel.
The chefs and their sous-chefs have 60 minutes and a full pantry at their disposal, but must incorporate a mystery ingredient in a meaningful way into all three courses. In the past, the secret ingredient has been an ostrich egg, a live catfish, and a dead snake.
Last year's event was the first to include an additional twist: Each chef had to give up his sous-chef and cook with the other's. This year, says foundation events manager Bret Graves, there are three possible twists.
"One of our raffle winners from the preliminary competition will get to go up on stage and pick the twist."
The chefs are judged on creativity, taste, presentation and sanitation. Judging the competition are chef Jeff Bacon of Charlotte, N.C., former American Culinary Federation Southeast Region vice president; chef Paul Bash, founding president of the central Arkansas chapter of the American Culinary Federation; chef Christopher F. Donato, also of Charlotte, who's a regional corporate chef for Nestle; and chef Andre Poirot, formerly the executive chef of the Excelsior cum Peabody hotel in downtown Little Rock.
During the fast-paced competition, which is also projected on large screens, making it easier for the audience to see, guests dine on a three-course meal -- which does not include any mystery ingredients.
The winning chef receives a crystal trophy and bragging rights for a year.
More information about Diamond Chef Arkansas, held 6-10 p.m. Tuesday, may be found at Pulaskitech.edu/diamondchef. Tickets are $200.
High Profile on 05/31/2015