Two CU-Boulder chefs took home bronze medals in the "mystery basket" competition at the national Chef Culinary Conference held at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.
Paul Houle of the University Club and David Kambic of Sewall Hall won their awards in an event that gave the chefs four hours to prepare a full meal with ingredients that were not revealed until the competition began.
Both mystery baskets contained four whole ducks, two legs of lamb, three pounds of clams, three pounds of shrimp, three pounds of scallops, one pound of ground beef, one pound of pork and two salt porks.
With these ingredients, Houle created a four-course meal consisting of a seafood trio appetizer, followed by a duck consomm茅 and mixed grill entree with a Caribbean bread pudding dessert. He also prepared a variety of elaborate side dishes to go along with the main meal.
Kambic chose to start his meal with a seafood sampler appetizer followed by a main course of roasted duck stuffed with mushrooms and served with paprika roasted potatoes and a special vegetable medley. For dessert he made a 9fresh berry sauce served over strawberry mousse.
The American Culinary Federation organized the conference held last month.
The emphasis on flexible and adaptable cooking that the mystery basket competition requires is something that Houle finds enjoyable. "I have always liked changing the menus and tailoring them to specific client's needs," said Houle. "It's fun to challenge yourself by trying new things. We are always trying to push the envelope."
Houle has been the chef of the University Club for the past year. During that time he has worked on adjusting the menu to meet the specific tastes of his Boulder clientele, which he feels are quite different from those in New England. Houle noted that many of the dishes that would have been favorites in his previous jobs, such as veal and foie gras (duck liver), are not as popular in a town like Boulder that has many vegetarians, vegans and animal rights advocates.
Houle said he has seen highly positive results. "The lunch crowd has increased immensely and people really seem to enjoy our new menu."
Houle graduated from Johnson and Wales University in Providence, R.I. He started working in the food industry as a dishwasher and a fry cook on the beach in Maine. He also worked as a private chef on Cape Cod, as a corporate chef in Boston and for a four-star catering service in Boston.
Kambic has worked as a chef at CU-Boulder since 1994 and before that he worked for 10 years as the kitchen manager at a local Boulder restaurant. He went to school at Pennsylvania State University where he studied mathematics and chemistry.
For more information contact Kerry Paterson, executive chef of CU-Boulder's dining services, at (303) 735-4901 or e-mail kerry.paterson@colorado.edu. Houle can be reached at (303) 492-0980 and Kambic at (303) 492-3348.