Hospitality management students win at food-carving Super Bowl
University of Akron hospitality management students carved their way to three first-place finishes at the National Collegiate Fruit and Vegetable Carving Competition, Oct. 5-6 in Holland, Mich.
Mary King, a graduate of UA's hospitality management program and bachelor's of organizational supervision degree program student, placed first in the National Collegiate Fruit and Vegetable Carving Competition's "individual" category with her classical floral carved arrangement.
The team — comprised of members Mary King, a hospitality management alumna working toward a Bachelor's of Organizational Supervision; Jennifer Bogart, a hospitality management student; and Tori Cunningham, an Akron Early College High School student — took first place in the competition’s “overall” category with a winning “Day in the Forest” sculpture. The elaborate piece contains carvings of animals, a jungle, sea, sky and sunburst from melons, zucchini, radishes, turnips, beets and several other vegetables. The team took another first in the “compulsory” category with its University of Akron-engraved melon.
King also took first place in the “individual” competition category with her classical floral sculpture using a stacked arrangement of watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew melon.
The team was lead by Chef Richard Alford, associate professor emeritus of hospitality management, who placed fifth in the “professional” category with his “For the Birds” carving.
UA's vegetable carving team members spent five hours sculpting "Day in the Forest," which earned them the championship title of the National Collegiate Fruit and Carving Competition, Oct. 5-6 in Holland, Mich.
The University’s student vegetable carvers will take their show on the road in coming weeks with appearances and demonstrations at:
- IX Center’s Trick-or-Treat event, Oct. 20-21 and Oct. 26-28
- Graduate Chef Dinner, UA’s Crystal Room Bistro, Saturday, Nov. 3, at 6 p.m. in the Crystal Room Bistro in Gallucci Hall. The cost is $50 per person. Call ext. 6615 for reservations.
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Media contact: Denise Henry, 330-972-6477 or henryd@uakron.edu.