Twenty-one student chefs and 11 instructors from both the Muskegon and Port Huron, Mich., campuses of the Culinary Institute of Michigan (CIM), a division of Baker College, earned a variety of honors at the 2022 Roland E. Schaffer Culinary Classic, an annual American Culinary Federation (ACF) sanctioned competition. The CIM competitors were awarded more than 40 medals combined at the in-person competition held in April 2022 at the CIM Port Huron campus.

The competitions featured chefs competing for individual honors, not head-to-head against other chefs, and judging on a variety of criteria including: safety and sanitation, craftsmanship, technical skill, utilization of product, taste and nutritional balance. New to the competition this year, for the first time in the 93-year history of the ACF, chefs took on a Table Side Cookery Dining Room Service competition category.

The inventive and challenging new category was created and designed for Food and Beverage Management students by Baker College’s Dean of Culinary, Chef Tom Recinella, CEC, AAC, HGT and CIM Program Director, Chef Paula Recinella, CHE, HAAC, and then approved and adopted by the ACF National Competition Committee. 

Collectively, 21 students and 11 instructors from CIM earned a total of 42 medals, including 11 gold. Additionally, several chef competitors earned Best in Show and Awards of Excellence for their performances. 

The CIM students and instructors were joined at the competition by entrants from seven Michigan high schools and Dorsey College, as well as 14 non-CIM professionals. A complete list of competitors and results are available.

“It was a tremendous BakerProud two-days for CIM students and staff…with 100 entries, 11 certified ACF judges, professional competitors from all over Michigan, high school students and our own students and staff coming together for a weekend of great competition,” said Chef (Tom) Recinella. “The CIM continued forging its path of excellence and exceptional student outcomes, and I am so proud of our performance and demonstration of our continuous improvement.”