Black Butte Ranch Blog
Jr. Chef’s Win Silver Medal
Chef Dean Ecker
This past weekend, Chef Dean Ecker and his team of five Central Oregon students competed in the Oregon – Washington State American Culinary Federation (ACF) Jr. Competition in Coos Bay and placed second, winning a Silver Medal. His team is made up of students enrolled in the Cascade Culinary Institute at COCC (Central Oregon Community College). The competition included teams from Oregon and Washington, some as far as Bellingham and Renton. The teams were each put through the paces, which included a one-hour skills salon that tested knife skills, pastry skills, seafood skills and poultry skills. Next, each team had to prepare a 4-course compulsory meal, testing their ability to cook certain classics such as an Escoffier dish. The teams are awarded points for each test they successfully complete and the total points earned determines the winning team. Chef Ecker is currently president of the High Desert Chefs Association in addition to his educational pursuits; he also will be coaching the Sister High School culinary class in a competition in early 2010. Congratulations to Chef Ecker and his team!
