Cincinnati State culinary team medals in international event | Events

CINCINNATI, OH (FOX19) - A team from Cincinnati State’s Midwest Culinary Institute won a regional Silver Medal during the Villeroy & Boch Culinary World Cup at the recently-concluded Expogast 2010.

The competition was held over Thanksgiving Week in Luxembourg.  It attracted more than 2,500 chefs and confectioners from 53 countries.  The five-day event included individual competitions as well as entries from 25 national teams, 10 national military teams, 10 national junior teams and 10 collective catering teams.

The Cincinnati State team was led by Chef Alan J. Neace Sr., a certified executive chef and instructor at the Midwest Culinary Institute, and included MCI graduates/adjunct faculty members Brian Willis and Dan Bungenstock. Greg Skibinski, an MCI instructor (and executive chef at the Western Hills Country Club) helped the team with its preparations but did not make the trip to Luxembourg.

The Cincinnati State team participated in the competition as a regional contestant under the umbrella of the U.S. national team.  It earned its award in a category known as “working larder,’’ essentially involving menu writing and the preparation of foods for display – in this case a buffet platter for eight.

Expogast is a culinary and gastronomic trade show open to both professionals and the general public.  Held every four years, its 11th iteration in 2010 drew more than 44,000 visitors and 150 exhibitors to the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. 

The Villeroy & Boch Culinary World Cup was organized by the Vatel-Club Luxembourg and endorsed by the World Association of Chefs Societies.  According to the WACS, the Culinary World Cup “ranks second on the worldwide scale behind the Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung International Culinary Art Competition, also known as the ‘Culinary Olympics.’ ”

Neace said the Midwest Culinary Institute regarded the Luxembourg competition as a tune-up for the upcoming 2012 Culinary Olympics, which will be held in Erfurt, Germany.  He said Master Chef John Kinsella from MCI, who serves as a judge at a number of international culinary competitions, has already agreed to serve as an advisory for the Cincinnati State team in 2012.