A team headed by Lake Orion resident Randy Emert took a top-four finish at the FHA 2008 Culinary Challenge, held in Singapore in late April.
Now Emert, the executive chef at Great Oaks Country Club in Rochester, is prepping for another big competition.
‘I was hoping for first place and three gold medals,? Emert said of his trip to Singapore.
He settled for a gold in his hot food entry, along with a silver and a bronze in the cold entr’e and cold appetizer events. Not bad considering what Emert and his team had to deal with on their arrival.
A shipment of ingredients, many unique to Michigan, were completely rotten when they arrived in Singapore, less than 24 hours from deadline.
‘We had to find the food and prep it all,? Emert said. ‘We basically stayed up all night.?
Emert was joined in Singapore by Ricky Kallis, a Lake Orion resident who is a student of his at Schoolcraft, and Steve Skomski, who trained at Great Oaks and now is the executive chef at the Flint Golf Club.
To make matters worse, Skomski went to the hospital with pains in his leg.
‘Luckily, Ricky was able to track down some products we could use,? Emert recalled. ‘I had to change how a lot of the plates looked based on the ingredients that were available.?
For example, Emert used asparagus that was not the same size as what he intended, and crayfish of a different color. He said changes like that hurt the ‘eye-popping factor? of his presentation, a key component in the competition.
‘It was very trying to come up with completely different presentations than what I had been working on,? he said.
Overall, Emert said it was good to be back on the competitive stage. He captained a team from Michigan that won seven medals at the Culinary Olympics in Germany back in 1996. He noted that there were many differences this time around.
‘Once I got over there, I realized everything had changed from years past when I’ve competed,? he said, adding that the emphasis on presentation has certainly increased.
As a result of his success as the highest placing American, however, Emert was handpicked by the American Culinary Federation and Michigan Chefs de Cuisine Association to represent the tri-state region at the International Shellfish Competition on Prince Edward Island in Canada this September.
That event gives competitors five hours to prepare food from a mystery basket featuring all Canadian products. From the mystery basket, Emert is expected to create an appetizer, entr’e and dessert.
‘I’ll do mystery baskets here with all of the items that come from that area,? he said of his practice routine.
Stay with The Review this fall for more on Emert’s competition.