Bakersfield College’s outstanding Culinary Arts students have prevailed yet again at the Mammoth Food & Wine Experience, which is a fundraising event for Cerro Coso Community College Foundation. This is the team’s third straight year of taking the championship at this premier culinary event, which awards a $1000 scholarship to the winning team.
The team is comprised of Branden Slichter, Stephanie Warnock, Tori Menna, Travis Murray, 
and Philip Mygatt, and was coached by Bakersfield College Chef Suzanne Davis. The dish which secured the win was designed by the student team: Creamy Crab Cakes with Roasted Corn, Cucumber, and Tomato Salad, topped with Red Pepper Sauce.
Bakersfield College’s team competed against top culinary schools: Art Institute of Santa Monica, Le Cordon Bleu of Los Angeles, Le Cordon Bleu of San Francisco, and Le Cordon Bleu of Sacramento.
Not only did our excellent team win the People’s Choice Award, but it was a landslide victory. To make the competition even more challenging, Chef Suzanne Davis wasn’t with the team during the event; Chef Davis was assisting Le Cordon Bleu of Los Angeles due to the fact that team has lost two team members just prior to the event.
For their championship, the team was presented with a $1000 scholarship, and a hand-carved bear, which will be prominently displayed in Bakersfield College’s Renegade Room. The team’s success was featured in the July 10 edition of The Bakersfield Californian.
If you’ve not had the opportunity to visit Bakersfield College’s amazing Renegade Room, I encourage you to make some time in the fall to do so. The Renegade Room will open up a few weeks into the Fall semester, and menus/dates will be posted online.
Sonya Christian with a Culinary Student at Sterling Silver
