While the world was busy watching Olympic athletes winning medals in Canada last month, Bradley Roberts was using his cooking skills to earn a gold medal of his own as part of a five-member team representing Oakland Community College’s Culinary Studies Institute.
‘It’s just incredible to be on a team where we can show our skills,? said the 21-year-old Oxford resident and 2007 graduate of Lake Orion High School.
Roberts and his fellow OCC student chefs won a gold medal Feb. 21 at a local competition that pitted them against teams from Schoolcraft College in Detroit and the Novi Art Institute.
‘We beat our biggest rival, Schoolcraft,? he said. ‘They usually take the win, but we finally took it. We’ve been practicing since October of last year.?
It was OCC’s sixth gold medal since 1998.
The winning dishes included a compulsory fish appetizer, filet of sole with white wine, along with a pear and goat cheese salad, smoked chicken breast and orange chocolate date tower.
Roberts prepared the pear and goat cheese salad.
The team is now readying itself to represent Michigan at the American Culinary Federation’s regional competition March 26 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
‘We’re just going to do the best we can do. That’s all we can do,? Roberts said.
The OCC team will serve the same dishes it won the gold medal for locally, plus create a cold platter featuring things like pates and tureens.
‘We’re practicing almost everyday,? Roberts said. ‘We have like an hour-and-a-half to get all these courses done (at the competition). It has to go up in stages to the judges. It’s pretty intense.?
With every practice, the team seeks to improve its timing, the visual appeal of its dishes, the quality of the food and ensure its sanitary standards are beyond reproach.
The goal is to eliminate any and all flaws and make the meal preparation ‘more like a routine for us than a competition,? Roberts said.
It’s the team-aspect that he’s enjoying the most about this whole experience.
‘It’s nice because you get to see what everybody else has to offer,? Roberts explained. ‘Our team is so diverse with people from the Philippines and Japan. It’s just cool to see what everybody can bring to the table.?
Roberts got his start in cooking as an LOHS junior attending culinary classes at Oakland Schools Technical Campus Northeast in Waterford. Obviously, he had a natural talent for cooking because in his senior year, he placed third in a state competition.
Roberts he enjoys the ‘creativity? and ‘the endless possibilities? that culinary arts affords him.
‘You can’t ever make the same thing twice,? he said. ‘Everything’s always different. There’s so much to work with.?
He has a passion for cooking seafood and smoking his own meats.
‘Those are my two favorite things,? Roberts said. ‘I’m not a big meat eater, so I tend to stick with the seafoods. I would say it’s more challenging because it can get overcooked in like a matter of seconds. It’s definitely tricky if you don’t know what you’re doing.?
After he graduates from OCC, Roberts wants to find a job that will allow him to ‘grow and learn the most.?
Roberts indicated he’d be happy to someday be a chef at a restaurant or country club. However, he’s not sure about owning his own place.
‘It seems really demanding right now,? he said. ‘We’ll see. You never know what could happen.? two favorite things,? Roberts said. ‘I’m not a big meat eater, so I tend to stick with the seafoods. I would say it’s more challenging because it can get overcooked in like a matter of seconds. It’s definitely tricky if you don’t know what you’re doing.?
After he graduates from OCC, Roberts wants to find a job that will allow him to ‘grow and learn the most.?
Roberts indicated he’d be happy to someday be a chef at a restaurant or country club. He’s not sure about owning his own place.
‘It seems really demanding right now,? he said. ‘We’ll see. You never know what could happen.?