Diamond Chef is Finally Home.

Over the course of a decade, Pulaski Technical College’s largest culinary event, Diamond Chef, has been balanced between a preliminary competition at the Marriott (formerly Peabody) Hotel and a finale at the Statehouse Convention Center. These venues offered the chance for the public to see some of Arkansas’s best culinary talent on display at centrally located venues.

Diamond Chef, A Gathering of Old Friends.

A number of things happened last night that were quite remarkable.  Nearly 600 people gathered to fete and celebrate at a celebration benefiting Pulaski Technical College's Arkansas Culinary School.  Two chefs faced off for the Diamond Chef title.  Dozens of students and culinarians let down their hair and put on the dog for the evening.  And a select group of bloggers got together and did what they do... what we do.

The 7th Annual Diamond Chef Finals are more than just two chefs and their sous chefs competing before a panel of judges.  It's a chance to honor cooking here in Arkansas and to party just a bit.

That celebration began early in the evening with a reception and silent auction -- featuring a craft brew bar and lots of neat and interesting items... which is all well and good, but it's also a chance to socialize with a huge group of foodways supporters.  The crowd was thick.

Once the doors were opened, tables were filled and the first of three courses were served.  The first, a refreshing fruit salad, featured heirloom tomatoes and compressed watermelon with mozzarella and a balsamic reduction... and mint.  And here's a picture of it.

What you don't see here but will find on the blogs of my dining companions are the photographs -- of Southern Ash's Joel DiPippa and his lovely wife Amanda, Dining With Debbie's Debbie Arnold and her husband Gary, Rock City Times satirist Greg Henderson, Red Kitchen Recipes writer Thanh Rasico, the original Fancy Pants Foodie herself Christie Morgan Ison and Monika Rued of the Arkansas Times -- who, dear readers, used to co-produce Today's THV This Morning with me a (cough) decade ago.  Frankly, I'm not much of a people-photo taker.  I have to work up my gumption to appear in photos sometimes myself -- food is so much easier to shoot (my regular traveling companion, Grav Weldon, was already on the way to Wakarusa).

We were all afforded the privilege of attending this august event pro bono... and what a gift that was.  Over wine and iced tea we chatted before the festivities got underway, catching up here and there and hearing about the efforts of our peers.  It was great to be in such company.

The reason we were there, of course, was on the stage, and soon we had announcements.  First came Chef Dan Capello of Chenal Country Club, who strode into the hall with his sous chefs with an air of pride.  It's deserved; Chef Capello won both the 2010 and the 2013 Diamond Chef titles.

He was followed a few minutes later by Chef Marc Guizol, who flipped tradition by entering on a bicycle!  Chef Guizol is right-hand to The Capital Hotel's Chef Joel Antunes and a pretty great cook in his own right.  He happened to win the Arkansas Hospitality Association's Iron Chef competition last September.

The two teams took their spots on the stage, and after introductions were made, Chef Todd Gold took the stage.  Chef Gold is dean of Pulaski Tech's Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management program.  He announced the chefs and called them forward, asking them to choose their best sous.  Then he announced the twist for this year -- those two sous chefs were going to flip teams!

That's a pretty cool idea.

A few minutes later, Chef Gold pulled away the black cloth to reveal the evening's secret ingredient.  This item in the past has been rattlesnake, octopus and live catfish, and for 2014 it was...

LIVE LOBSTER.

The two chefs immediately got to pulling the crustaceans out of the big tank, took them to their respective stations and began dispatching and preparing them for what was to come.  They had 15 minutes for the task.

The evening's two commentators, famed local dining star Pam Smith and local radio personality Kevin Clay, introduced the panel of esteemed judges -- Chef Kyle Richardson, vice president of the American Culinary Federation Central Region; Chef Jeff Bacon, vice president of the American Culinary Federation Southwest Region; Chef Andre Poirot of the Little Rock Crown Plaza; and Chef Paul Bash, first president and member of the Arkansas Chefs' Federation Hall of Fame... and of course, the executive chef of the beloved Jacques and Suzanne's.

Soon time was out, and the 20 minute countdown began for the chefs to create an appetizer from lobster. While they worked, we dined on Creekstone beef and green beans, something called crispy potato gratin and a demiglaze... and rolls, yeasty ones and potato ones too.  Our conversations were interrupted by our Twittering; at one point I counted six phones out at the table as we each tried to share out what was going on to our respective fans.

On the stage, hubbub was happening, and those 20 minutes passed quickly.  Dishes went quickly to the judges.

Chef Dan Capello's creations, which appeared to originally be ravioli or tortellini from our seats towards the back of the house, turned out to be lobster spring rolls, delicately fried and served with a dollop of lemon-tinged sour cream.

Chef Marc Guizol's submission was a lobster tartar bedecked with microgreens and cream, served with a peanut sauce drizzle.

The clock was restarted again, another 20 minutes for the chefs to come up with a main entree featuring lobster.  By the way, each chef was allowed to bring 10 ingredients of their choice and 15 kitchen implements to assist them in their efforts -- along with their sous chefs, of course.

Kevin and Pam cut it up on the stage with their enthusiasm.  However, we were duly entertained at our own Alton Brown-esque commentator with Joel's witty reparte about the actions of the chefs, and his insight into different ways lobster might be prepared.  We discovered we had a mutual affection for the old Japanese version of Iron Chef.  Greg Tweeted out again over a "second fight between the chefs," and Monika was all into grabbing a selfie with me.  Though it was loud in there, we managed to converse quite a bit.

There were other things going on... including the draw for a raffle in which the winner got their choice of silent auction items (no matter the winning bidder!).  The wine pull was also mentioned, and several folks from our table went to check on bids and to engage in raffle ticket-purchasing and wine... pulling?  I guess that'd be the verb I'm looking for.

The twenty minutes up, the chefs presented their second course to the judges:

Chef Guizol offered a coconut soup with lobster tail and lobster cream, garnished with lobster roe and served with a roe-studded crackerish breadstick.

Chef Capello countered with lobster tail over guacamole slaw, served with a goat cheese-stuffed zucchini flower.

Those of us who rushed the stage to get shots of the activities were amused by the judges themselves, who also pulled out their phones to photograph their food!

As the entree was presented, dessert came to our table -- a light and elegant champagne sabayon with fresh berries served in martini glasses.  The champagne was strong with this item, but it was light and barely cloying.  Still, there were calls for more wine from my dining companions, who like other diners went to scavenge bottles from other tables.  Coffee was discovered and a waitperson accosted for the java accoutrements.

Well into the last 20 minutes. we chattered on, lubricated by liquor and excitement and caffeine.  I felt at home here.  I also relished my boots, which allowed me a quick arrival to the stage at each development.  Yes, I was underdressed, but I was ready to tackle the world.

The final course complete, desserts were presented to the judges.

Chef Capello delivered... well, it was... colorful.  I could see a lobster claw and a whitish cream and corn and flowers.  I could not hear the description of the dish, the crowd having grown louder as time had progressed and the cash bar at the back of the room gradually depleted.  Christie heard it, though, and related on her blog:  "crab claw and knuckle ragu with mushroom, tomato and bacon; a corn and lobster flan; and a celeriac, French truffle and quail egg yolk ravioli with a celeriac truffle crumble, garnished with thyme, celery and borage flowers."

Yeah, I would never have managed all that.

Chef Guizol's delicacy?  Smoked lobster claw with caviar-styled lobster roe, an Australian truffle ravioli and porcini mushrooms.

I would have given all the money in my wallet to eat that.

The dishes all presented, the judges retired to discuss the decision and the auctioneer took the stage, offering for bid one grand vacation and fantastic dinner after another for bid.  Us bloggers huddled in the back.  The auction and judging seemed to take quite a while and the crowd began to get restless.

But the chefs were called back to the stage, and with the announcement of scores, the title of Diamond Chef was announced -- and this year, it was an upset, as Chef Marc Guizol defeated Chef Dan Capello.

A celebratory round of photographs were taken... and as I looked by my side to the other bloggers, writers and photographers who were covering the event, I felt a camaraderie I had long missed.  This was worth staying up past my bedtime on a school night.

I haven't seen the final numbers yet, but I know thousands of dollars were raised for the school.  That money will go to deferring the costs of attending such an amazing facility and program, and help make it easier for aspiring young chefs to learn and develop their skills in a prime environment.

There will come another competition next spring, and the cycle of determining the next Diamond Chef will begin.  As for our blogging community, I think this was an important step -- a necessary one.  As Jake Blues frequently said, it's time to get the band back together.  The umbrella of sharing and promoting Arkansas's foodways is opening, and it's time to step out into the rain of change and innovation that's pouring around the state right now.

Diamond Chef: What Culinary Dreams Are Made Of.

Tuesday night marks the 7th time two Arkansas chefs go head to head to determine who will carry the Diamond Chef title another day.  Kat Robinson takes a look back at previous contests, and shares why these events are important to the culinary scene.


I missed the very first Diamond Chef.  I'll be the first to admit that.  I mean, it was before my Eat Arkansas days, and right after I'd become a full-time writer, and I wasn't on anyone's radar to invite anyway.  Besides, I had just returned from a ridiculously long trip to Las Vegas... but that's all behind us now.

No, it was 2009 before I was able to be on-hand for the preliminaries.  I remember getting the invitation and wondering what I'd see.  You see, I've seen a whole lot of the original Iron Chef out of Japan, and my mind swirled with ideas of a chairman growling challenges at eager culinary masters.

It wasn't like that.  It was an event held in the lobby of the (then) Peabody Hotel, two chefs at a time competing against each other with portable burners, pulling stock from a rolling fridge while patrons watched and drank pretty bar beverages.  That being said, it was intense, and I thrilled in the fun.

For someone just really getting excited about writing about food, this was a pretty damn cool thing.



It wasn't just the writing, though. I was genuinely excited about the idea of cooking for competition. You see, I've done a bit of that in my time. As I've mentioned before, I have this hobby... I'm a 23 year veteran of the Society for Creative Anachronism, which works to preserve the Middle Ages "as they should have been." It's where I really discovered my love of cooking -- especially for crowds -- and where I learned to research and redact period recipes and cooking methods. And within that hobby, I've had the opportunity to compete against others in a head-to-head competition of this sort.

Yes, that's me to the left.  Don't judge.

Thing is, Diamond Chef is a way not only to let these great local chefs go head to head -- it's also a way to garner interest in something really special.  Each year the crowd has grown for the event, as our chefs have improved and taken each other on in the spirit of friendly competition and helping others.

But there wouldn't be a Diamond Chef without the Arkansas Culinary School, and without it we wouldn't be educating a great group of culinarians.  Seems we've come very far in a very short period of time.  In fact, it wasn't until 2006 that Pulaski Tech began this program (its roots, of course, being with the American Culinary Federation Apprenticeship Program in 1995).  Its first round of students came in as the state was first re-awakening to its own culinary roots - and now the chefs that are ready to proceed into the restaurant and catering fields are embracing those traditions and that of the chefs who have taught at this esteemed institution to forge a new Arkansas hybrid cuisine.

Still, why Diamond Chef?  It's an opportunity to raise money to help these students and to keep the price of attending PTC's program affordable.  Indeed, Pulaski Technical College Foundation executive director Ganelle Holman states the essential nature of this funding.  "The money raised through Diamond Chef will benefit students at the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute (CAHMI)," she says.  "The curriculum rivals that of any culinary school in the nation, yet our tuition remains dramatically lower.  With accreditations from the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation and the Wine and Spirits Education Trust in London, England, CAHMI on Pulaski Tech’s south campus is a treasure trove of development and culture for our state.  The building is the first LEED SILVER Certified, zero-waste facility, and it is fast becoming the program of choice for students in the region and throughout the country.   Not only is support of this event a sound investment in the economic development of our state, it is also an investment in our students’ future."

Oh, wait, LEED SILVER Certified?  Zero-waste facility?  Yes... there are other cool things going on... see, once the Arkansas Culinary School flourished, there was a demonstrated need for a specialized facility for these up and coming students.  It wasn't long before plans were crafted to create a new facility just for the programs.  On September 24th, 2013, the new (and previously mentioned) Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute was opened on the grounds of PTC's South Campus.

This new facility, with its multiple labs covering everything from handling meat to making martinis, is top-notch and truly does rival other cooking schools around the world for all the amazing things it offers.

Thing is, Diamond Chef is a chance to promote the Arkansas Culinary School, to share the neat activities itself and to celebrate the students and the unique program in which they proudly participate.  It's important.  Not only are the two chefs who are facing off Tuesday night competing against each other... they're providing inspiration to young culinarians that may someday become the cutting edge wunderkind of Arkansas's fast-evolving food scene. It's the stuff culinary dreams are made of.

I will be in attendance; myself and several other bloggers in the Arkansas food world have been invited to attend the event on a complimentary basis in exchange for publicity about the event.  I'm interested in seeing what neat challenge Chefs Daniel Capello and Marc Guizol will face.  After all, octopus has already been used.

For more information, click here.  See you tomorrow night.

Chef Dan Capello wins Diamond Chef, again.

Chef Dan Capello wins Diamond Chef, again

Posted by Kat Robinson on Tue, Jun 7, 2011 at 10:50 PM

• ELIZABETH JAMES
• JUDGING: Chefs taste the second course at Diamond Chef 2011

The votes have been tabulated, the results consumed and the crowd dispersed after this year’sDiamond Chef competition at the Statehouse Convention Center. Once again, Chef Dan Capello has come out on top. The Chenal Country Club executive chef bested Pulaski Technical College/Arkansas Culinary School lead instructor Chef Cindy Malik for his second take of the title.

Tonight’s secret ingredient? Rabbit. The chefs were given 10 minutes to disassemble their rabbits before the hour started on the clock. They were each then given an hour to complete three dishes — an appetizer, entrée and dessert course — at 20 minutes apiece.

The two started out with quick dishes. Capello’s cilantro rabbit tacos with mango margarita were met with Malik’s rabbit-lettuce-mustard wraps with cucumber salad. Malik countered with apricot glazed rabbit, potato pot pie, creamed spinach and glazed carrots in the second round against Capello’s parmesan crusted rabbit with sautéed spinach and potato dumplings.

The final dishes: Capello’s hazelnut encrusted rabbit, blue cheese ravioli and chantrelle mushrooms went up against Malik’s rabbit sausage and goat cheese tart with poached pears, watermelon sorbet and micro-greens. In the end, Capello outscored Malik 81.42 points to 78.77 points.

It was an interesting night. Malik’s dancing entrance to “Hey, Good Lookin’” drew laughs. Governor Mike Beebe and First Lady Ginger Beebe were in attendance, along with a plethora of personalities, foodies and generally hungry people from all over Central Arkansas. Nearly 600 were in attendance, a definite increase over last year. Lots more silent auction prizes too.

You should check out Christie Ison’s slideshow and story about the event over at Fancy Pants Foodie — and our own slideshow by Elizabeth James of the evening’s events.

PTC students shine in competition.

Just catching up on all the email and such that came in while I was in Chicago, and found this great bit of information about the big American Culinary Foundation-sanction competition at this year's Ben E. Keith big food show. Lots of information on the jump, including much great news concerning Pulaski Technical College's culinary all-stars.

Oklahoma Chef, PTC Student Top Winners in ACF-Sanctioned Competition
Cash and scholarships awarded at event held in conjunction with Ben E. Keith show

NORTH LITTLE ROCK — May 25, 2011 — Chef Michael Powell of the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club was the top professional finisher and Douglas Spharler of the Pulaski Technical College Arkansas Culinary School was the top student in the state’s first American Culinary Foundation sanctioned competition held in conjunction with the Ben E. Keith annual food show May 11 in Hot Springs.

Powell received $2,500 and a gold medal, while Chef Cynthia Malik, an instructor at the PTC Arkansas Culinary School, received $1,500 and a silver medal for finishing second, and Chef Clifton Lee Van On of Ridglea Country Club in Fort Worth received $1,000 and a silver medal as the third-place finisher. Chef Jay McAfee, PTC Arkansas Culinary School instructor and Chef Randy Page, Executive Chef at Arkansas State University both received bronze medals.

Ben E. Keith also awarded scholarships to the top three student finishers: a $1,000 scholarship for Spharler, who also received a bronze medal; a $750 scholarship for runner-up Jeremiah Hudson and a $500 scholarship for Richard Lindsey, who finished third in the student competition.

Medals were awarded based on the points awarded: 36-40 points for gold; 31-35.99 points for silver, and 28-31.99 for bronze. Judges for the event were Chef Robert Meitzer of Red Rocks Country Club in Morrison, Colo; Chef Travis Smith of Breckenridge Ski Resort in Breckenridge, Colo; and Chef Patrick Mitchell of Ben E. Keith Foods’ Dallas-Fort Worth division.

The competition was organized by Ben E. Keith staff; Chef Todd R. Gold, CEC, CCA, AAC, president of the American Culinary Federation Central Arkansas Chapter (ACF-CAC), director of programs at Pulaski Technical College Arkansas Culinary School (PTC ACS) and president of the Purple Cow Restaurants; and Chef Daniel Capello, CEC, competition chair of the ACF-CAC and executive chef at Chenal Country Club.

Assisting were Renee Smith, CHE, assistant director of the Arkansas Culinary School, and Chef Suzanne Campbell, CEC, adjunct instructor at the Arkansas Culinary School. ACS student volunteers included Bree Robinson, ACF-CAC student of the year; Johnny Jynes; Xavier Camp; Quincy Steed; and Pamela Clark.

A Surprise Start at The Finish Line Cafe.

Quiche. Stuffed Bell Peppers. Tabouleh. Hand-thrown pizzas. Squab. Crawfish Etouffee. Chicken Fried Steak. Bread Pudding. Fried Broccoli and Cheese.

That’s a pretty wide menu with some pretty crazy items on it. Chances are, you’d expect to pay quite a bit for a restaurant with this sort of variety.

Would you believe me if I told you the chicken fried steak plate above cost just $6?

Yes, I was surprised… even though my brother had been telling me about this place for months. About huge reasonably priced breakfasts, a case full of take-and-go meals, a wide selection of beverages, and the unusual. So I finally decided to go out and meet him… at school.

That divine everchanging menu is what you’ll find at the café at Pulaski Tech’s South Campus, The Finish Line. It’s run by students of PTC’s culinary school. Hence that variety.

The day we went we had to wait a bit -- students had just left class (there are indeed other programs on the campus, including the car mechanic school that my brother is attending) and were grabbing hot meals before their next stop for the day. Unlike the cafeteria where I pursued my higher education, this really looks more like a café, though its “courtyard” is actually just a fenced in area outside the café within the halls of the school.

My brother’s plate (the chicken fried steak) came with two sides and a drink for $6. Doesn’t matter what they serve at Coupe de Grille (the station where you get hot “home cooking,” it’s still $6 ($4.25 if you just get three veggies and a roll). Which isn’t bad.

I was tempted by many things when I took my turn through the line… the quiche selection was pretty grand, as was the desserts. There’s a salad bar and a hot dessert station. I almost passed on something unusual, though.

As I was glancing down into the take-and-go case, writing on the boxes caught my eye. I dare say, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen squab sandwiches offered, anywhere. Of course, I had to try it… along with the equally unusual to me Fried Broccoli and Cheese. And Blueberry Crunch… it looked good, so I figured I’d try it. Along with my iced tea, my meal came to less than $8.

And I was thrilled with the quality. I’ve spent more for a “deli lunch” downtown and didn’t get anything half as good.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, they have pretty good pizza, too… hand thrown and covered in plenty of cheese. And I understand their gourmet hot dogs are also splendid.  PTC is expanding dining options this week… with the official opening next week of the Big Rock Bistro at PTC’s Main Campus. I’m very interested to see how that goes!

You’ll find The Finish Line inside Pulaski Tech’s South Campus. If you’re coming from Little Rock, you’ll need to take the Otter Creek exit off I-30 and ride the access road to the entrance (you can’t get there from the County Line/Alexander exit). It’s just inside the main entrance.

Sam Choy's A Rather Nice Fellow.

Sam Choy is a nice guy. Got to meet the chef this morning at Pulaski Technical College’s south campus. He came in to talk with the culinary students, and boy did he have a lot to say.