December 28, 2012 at 5:15 p.m.
Nicolet culinary arts student a finalist in national cooking contest
Nicolet culinary arts student a finalist in national cooking contest
Now the Nicolet College culinary arts student is in the running for another cooking contest, this one for the opportunity to learn culinary skills from famous chef Tyler Florence.
Kaether's recipe for stuffed pork chops is one of 26 finalists that are open to online public voting until Dec. 31. The top-20 will be judged by Florence and he will pick five grand prize winners for his "Ultimate Food and Wine Experience." The recipes are supposed to be able to be paired with either Sauvignon Blanc or Cabernet Sauvignon.
"I came across the contest online and decided I had a recipe that fit the description of what they were looking for already," Kaether said. "The pork chop recipe is one that I created previously last year. I made a few changes and tweaked a few things to make it fit this contest better, and make it truly a unique recipe, before submitting to this Tyler Florence contest."
That was in October.
"I completely forgot that I submitted to this contest until I checked my email late the night of Dec. 23," Kaether said. "I had been so busy the week before with finals and Christmas, and a nasty cold I was fighting, that I never checked my email all week. Unfortunately they had notified the finalists that the next stage was a public vote, which began weeks ago. I have some catching up to do."
Kaether is preparing to begin her final semester in Nicolet's culinary arts program. She'll be graduating in the spring and hopes to be able to work as a chef somewhere in the Rhinelander area, and eventually start her own catering and restaurant business.
"During a menu planning class this fall, one of our assignments was to create a menu for our imaginary restaurants," Kaether said. "I had so much fun creating the recipe descriptions of the menu items, and describing the atmosphere and ambience of my dream restaurant. Everyone who reads my menu loves the unique choices and has a hard time choosing what they would order. I named the restaurant 'Reflections' because I plan for it to be on lakefront property, where the seasons will be reflected on the water and the large windows that surround the dining area. It also has another meaning to me, as I can 'reflect' on many wonderful memories of the lakes I have spent time on in the Northwoods, and I hope people that frequent my restaurant will be able to reflect on memories made at my establishment."
The trip to Italy opened Kaether's eyes to new culinary techniques and ideas, and she said winning the Tyler Florence contest would provide another great opportunity.
"I love to learn from others and I can't imagine learning from Tyler Florence himself," Kaether said.
To vote for Kaether's recipe, visit: http://www.tylerflorencewines.com/Ultimate-Wine-and-Food-Sweepstakes/Entry-Page
Kyle Rogers may be reached at [email protected].
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