Chef Wins Bronze at International Conference

MELBOURNE, FLA.—Jon Skoviera, a Florida Institute of Technology chef de cuisine in the SUB Café, brought back a bronze medal from the International Taste of the World Chef Culinary Conference. The American Culinary Federation-sanctioned event was held at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He and Florida Tech chef Cynthia Tony were there for four days of classes in June.

The team of Skoviera and chefs from the University of Texas, Salisbury College and Colorado State University were tasked with creating a three-course menu and preparing the dishes from a pre-set market basket of items. The team, also required to make a buffet item, was judged on the entire endeavor.

They created a chicken artichoke gratin hot appetizer, chilled strawberry-apple soup and crusted pan-seared trout with jasmine rice pilaf and matchstick vegetables for the meal. Their buffet item was braised pork shoulder with roasted garlic and shitake mushroom jus, broccoli rabe and pan-seared polenta.

Teams were critiqued on several factors. These included how the team worked together, cleanliness, knife skills, flavor and appearance.

“It felt great to win,” said Skoviera who competed for the fifth time. “They purposely push our limits of what’s possible.”