JWU Culinary Team Reaches ACF Knowledge Bowl Finals

In early July, four culinary majors from JWU’s North Miami campus, Marisa Roussell, 19; Victoria Gonzalez, 19; Alissa Ebel, 21; and Catherine Gonzalez, 24, traveled to Orlando, Fla. to compete in the American Culinary Federation’s national Knowledge Bowl Championship — the first time a school team has reached the finals. A feature story in the Miami Herald memorably dubbed them "the Miami Spice Girls."

The American Culinary Federation, which accredits culinary programs and provides training and networking opportunities for food professionals, has hosted the Knowledge Bowl since 1992, says Kristy Begley, its director of education and professional development. Questions are drawn from six textbooks.

''These are some of the sharpest, brightest students that I have seen,'' Begley says. ''It's unbelievable the caliber of students that come through this competition.''

To prepare, the JWU team studied for three to four hours a day, quizzing one another from more than 900 note cards filled with culinary trivia. They also studied everything food sanitation and safety, nutrition and management, as well as the classical techniques of Escoffier as outlined in his 1903 text Le Guide culinaire.

In competition, the JWU team began with a neck and neck race against a team from Colorado. Despite Colorado’s victory, the competition was fierce and came down to the final three questions.

The final showdown took place against reining champions from St. Louis, who nearly lost their title to the North Miami team — right down to the final question.

The JWU team did a fantastic job and is applauded for advancing all the way to the finals. It was a great honor and testament to the academic rigors of the JWU’s culinary program, as well as to the excellence and hard work of our students.