Culinary & Food Science students earned 2nd place in national competition

Academics, Faculty & Staff, Students, Success Stories

Jun 4, 2025

Culinology Team members Toni Halstead, Bryan Higgins, Bryce Czechorski, and Aden Maddux and advisors Grace Yek and Karen Dewitt

A team of four Cincinnati State Culinary & Food Science (CFS) students took second place in the Student Culinology® Competition held in March 2025 at the Research Chefs Association (RCA) Conference in St. Louis. The Cincy State team competed against teams from four-year universities, including the third-place team from St. Louis University. Southwest Minnesota State University took first place..

Cincinnati State’s CFS program is one of 17 in the US approved by the Research Chefs Association.

The team members for the competition were four seniors in the CFS bachelor’s degree program who graduated in May 2025: Aden Maddux (Team Leader), Bryce Czechorski, Bryan Higgins, and Toni Halstead (Team Alternate).

Judges observing the team's cooking — **Judges watched the team’s preparation of the product**

Professor Grace Yek, the CFS Program Chair, said the competition is part culinary and part food science, which is “a perfect reflection” of Cincinnati State’s program. To qualify for the final competition, the team submitted a 30-page proposal for their food product. The proposal had to meet nutritional specifications and market demand along with information covering the commercial formulation, production, and packaging of the product.

Chef Yek said, “I couldn’t be prouder of our team. Their skills, teamwork, and professionalism were on full display, and the judges and audience took notice.”

The team’s product was Pork and Gnocchi Fiesta Bowl— a “bold, multicultural dish inspired by the rich culinary heritage of both Mexico and Italy.” The dish starts with shredded pork shoulder, tossed in a mole poblano sauce, and served on top of gnocchi that has been tossed in a cilantro-lime crema. The dish is topped with a sweet-and-sour apple raisin chutney.

Product packaging and plated versions of the commercial and fresh product — **Judges evaluated the commercial and fresh versions of the product**

The student team prepared and packaged a frozen commercial version of their product and shipped it to the competition site. During the final competition round, the team was evaluated on their culinary skills along with the side-by-side evaluation (“Culinology® comparison”) of the fresh and commercial product versions. The points earned for the proposal, culinary execution and Culinology® comparison were added up to determine team placements.

Team leader Aden Maddux said, “The competition was a lot of fun and a great way to express creativity as a group. Every step of the cooking process was scrutinized, and it gave me a new perspective on formulating recipes.”

Team co-advisor and adjunct instructor Karen Dewitt added, “The competition gave our students an opportunity to use their skills to create a product that started with a culinary “Gold Standard” to become a commercial frozen entree. Matching taste, texture, color, appearance, and quality of the Gold Standard to a commercial equivalent is not an easy task!”

CFS junior Cole Sumner created the packaging design for the product. The design wasn’t part of the scoring, but as Chef Yek pointed out, “It added a polished touch that was greatly appreciated.”

Team alternate Toni Halstead noted, “This was the first competition for all of us, and everyone made us feel very welcome. Meeting fellow students and industry professionals who came to watch and cheer us on was very special for the team.”

(Reporting and photos provided by Grace Yek)