Chefs from all over the Midwest recently gathered on the Marquette campus to show off their culinary skills, all for a good cause.
In May, Sodexo at Marquette hosted a culinary competition for the Midwest Employee Business Resource Groups that brought together cooking expertise, culture and community. The event was centered around the theme “United for Good – A Celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Month.”
The event took place in Marquette’s Innovation Kitchen in the Alumni Memorial Union. It was more than a cooking competition — it was a celebration of connecting and giving back to the community. Proceeds from the evening benefited the Milwaukee Rescue Mission.
Eight Sodexo chefs from across the Midwest came together to compete. They represented a variety of workplaces including the College of Du Page, the University of Illinois – Chicago, Kellogg’s and SSM St. Agnes Hospital, among others. Marquette’s own Steve Zaharias, executive chef of Cobeen Hall, was among the competitors.
The chefs were randomly paired into teams, many partnering with people they had never worked with before. Their challenge was to create an impressive dish in just one hour using a mystery box of protein and starch. To make things more interesting, they were also required to use two surprise ingredients: cheese curds and cranberries. The surprise ingredients reflected local flavors but with an Asian American and Pacific Islander culinary twist.
Each team had access to a pantry stocked with additional ingredients and cooked in identical kitchen stations. After the hour was up, the teams presented their dishes to a panel of judges.
The judges included Rick Arcuri, director of business and auxiliary services for the Division of Belonging and Student Affairs at Marquette; Derek Mosley, a James Beard judge, director of the Lubar Center at Marquette Law School; and Rick Rodriguez, Milwaukee foodie and James Beard judge.
The top dishes of the night included a bold chicken breast with earthy mushrooms marinated in soy, ginger and garlic, finished with a glossy hoisin glaze and paired with an Asian coleslaw. It was the salmon dish that stole the show.
The winning team, Zaharias and Richard Nimkie, general manager and chef at SSM St. Agnes Hospital, wowed judges with a ginger-honey glazed salmon served over cranberry and white cheddar risotto, complemented by garlic stir-fried vegetables and a pickled cucumber and pepper salad.
Mosley praised the salmon dish for its creativity, execution and flavor.
“What stood out the most for me was the temperature, balance, taste and appearance of the salmon,” Mosley says. “Each chef got a protein in their basket, but the salmon just stood above the rest.”
He also highlighted the creative use of the secret ingredients.
“The cheese curds were expertly folded into the risotto, but it was the early use of the cranberries that not only cut the tart flavor but gave the risotto this delightful purple hue,” Mosley explained. “All the chefs did an excellent job balancing Asian flavors with our local Wisconsin ingredients, but the risotto stood out.”
Melanie Vianes, Marquette Dining Services general manager and one of the event’s key organizers, reflected on the evening’s success.
“We were excited to host an evening celebrating culture, culinary talent and connection,” Vianes says. “The event had many goals to live up to and surpassed them.”
Looking ahead, Marquette has already been invited to host and help produce the event again next year. Vianes expressed optimism about what’s to come: “We hope to engage a larger audience and are proud to continue supporting this meaningful tradition.”
