JJC culinary team plates a second-place finish
Students take silver medal at national conference
The list of student and staff accolades of Joliet Junior College’s culinary arts program is longer than the waiting list to get into many popular restaurants on a weekend night. That’s saying something. And JJC’s students and faculty continue to pile up numerous local, national and international awards, including most recently taking second place at the American Culinary Federation’s National Conference in Orlando, Fla., inAugust.
“I am pleased at how the team performed,” said Chef Paul Bringas, JJC’s competition team coach. “We had a very productive season, which lasts nearly a year. The students practice after classes two to three times a week, and we practice the same schedule throughout the summer. The commitment is huge, both from the students and the coaches.”
Bringas said the team received the second place silver medal with a score of 88.11. They fell short of first place by just 0.12.
“Competition at this level is extreme,” he said. “I am very proud of all that we accomplished with this team. The students were very dedicated and worked extremely hard. A truly great, passionate group of students to coach. We were so very fortunate to have had Certified Master Chef TimBucci also as a coach on our team.”
JJC’s competition team was comprised of culinary arts students Jacob Merz, Liam O’Brien, Alexis Ramos, Lloyd Wright and Zachary Zwei. They competed against four other regional teams as well as a military squad.
Merz, of Sandwich, said the most challenging aspect of the competition was making sure they group always did their best inpracticeand outside of it.
“Making sure to go in every day practicing smart, hard and never making the same mistake twice is what we strived for,” Merz said. “We always tried to correct or improve each practicewe had. Never to make the same mistake twice was the goal for me.”
Ramos, a Joliet resident who served as the team’s captain, echoed what Merz said in regards to moving forward through practices.
“We all put in countless hours preparing for each competition — state, regional and nationals,” he said. “Identifying the problems was the easy part but trying to come up with solutions and pull everyone to the right direction was tricky at times. I always triedmy best to be uplifting, positive and always tried to
help the team with as much as I could. I listened to my teammates feedback and provided aid to whoever needed it. Being the team mediator, motivation, and anchor of the team was challenging at some points, but togetherwe all achieved greatness.”
They were scored based on kitchen environment, taste, flavor, plating, proper cooking methods and techniques.
“I am so proud of the hardwork andcommitment of each of the students on this year’s team, along with the unwavering dedication of their coaches Chef Bringas and Chef Bucci,” said Chef Mike McGreal, Culinary Arts department chair. “These students transformed into talented and professional culinarians over the course of the past year. They serve as role models to other students and have positioned themselves for successful and rewarding careers.”
These teammates formed friendships and relationships that will go far beyond their finish at nationals. And while there were ups and downs, ultimately they all finished as winners, they said.
“It wasn’t always a great time,” Ramos said. “There were times where we fought and argued, but we came out with knowledge, experience and a friendship we didn’t have going in. We respected each other as teammates and made sure to showit.”
They even got matching tattoos.
“The only way we were able to make it to nationals was by making sure the team had a good relationship, motivation, passion and determination.” Ramos said. “We all showed that countless times working side by side.”
Zwei, who has since relocated to Connecticut as he pursues his career, considers his teammates to be brothers.
“My team members are brothers to me,” he said. “Brothers fight and push each other, but always want the best for one another.”
As for where these five teammates will land careerwise, the sky is limit.
“My goal in life one day is to own my own Michelin star restaurant,” Ramossaid.
“I picked a career that I enjoy with a passion I can’t describe. In this industry, the sky is the limit for creating new things and learning about food. I plan to continue to do this for the rest of my life.”
Zwei is now working for Geoffrey Lanez who is a member of the American Culinary Federation’s Culinary Team USA and a sous chef at Somerset Club in Boston.