{"id":796,"date":"2009-02-19T12:23:54","date_gmt":"2009-02-19T16:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.utc.edu\/Administration\/UniversityRelations\/news\/?p=427"},"modified":"2009-04-21T12:31:39","modified_gmt":"2009-04-21T17:31:39","slug":"executive-chef-masa-yamashita-brings-home-the-gold-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2009\/02\/executive-chef-masa-yamashita-brings-home-the-gold-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Executive Chef Masa Yamashita brings home the gold again!"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the third straight year, UTC Executive Chef Masahiro (Masa) Yamashita competed against chefs from throughout the Southern Region and earned the gold medal at the 2009 ARAMARK Culinary Excellence (ACE) competition.\u00a0 This summer, he will represent the Southern Region at the National ACE Challenge in Boston.\u00a0 Rodney Ridley and Keith Morrison, who won the silver and bronze metals, will also compete in Boston.<\/p>\n

\u201cCongratulations to all the talented chefs for their part in the competition and best wishes to our Southern Region Team at the National ACE Challenge in June.\u00a0 Masa, Rodney and Keith \u2013 go for the gold!\u201d said Greg Eisele, District Executive Chef, Southern Regional A.C.E. Coordinator.<\/p>\n

The Southern Region competition was held at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.\u00a0 In four hours, each chef prepared a three course meal and a presentation plate for a group of tasting judges. Yamashita entered a sushi tower, his main dish featured lamb and for dessert, a tiramisu.\u00a0 He explains this was no ordinary tiramisu.<\/p>\n

“I made the tiramisu with tofu instead of using mascarpone,” Yamashita said.\u00a0 “When you say ‘tofu’ to most people they don’t like the idea.\u00a0 But if it tastes good in a tiramisu, they think differently.”<\/p>\n

Yamashita is originally from Japan and has lived for 19 years in the southern United States, so each meal represents an opportunity for East to meet West.\u00a0 “I try to use healthier ingredients than typical southern home cooking.”<\/p>\n

At the competition, the chefs were also judged in the kitchen during their preparations.\u00a0 Top culinary talent was on hand to judge the event including tasting judges:\u00a0 Chef Hilmar Jonsson, C.M.C., Lead Judge; Chef John Antun, C.E.C. and Chef Edgar Hermann, C.E.C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Chef Mike Firth, Executive Chef, served as the Kitchen Judge for the day.\u00a0\u00a0 Chef Hilmar Jonsson, C.M.C, was also able to present a special seafood demonstration for the competing chefs.<\/p>\n

Competitors in the 2009 Southern Region ACE Challenge were:<\/p>\n