Jennifer Leamons, executive catering chef for UNC Charlotte, earned a silver medal in a culinary challenge held recently at the Southern Regional Conference of the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS).
She was selected to compete based upon an original recipe submission that featured a main protein selected by NACUFS executive leadership. This year, the protein was buffalo flank steak. Thirteen chefs presented recipes from the Southern region, and among those, six were chosen to compete. Leamons was the only representative from the UNC system and the only woman.
Challenge participants worked under the pressure of a time limit to display their best culinary techniques as they prepared qualifying recipes in front of three American Culinary Federation-approved judges, two were master chef certified. Competitors had 60 minutes to prepare two classic cuts of the meat, along with sides and sauces to create a balanced plate.
Leamons called her dish “Past, Present and Future,” and it ambitiously featured three elements on one plate.
“I wanted lots of color to showcase the varieties in which the flank steak could be prepared,” she said. “I served it raw, grilled, seared and smoked.”