Pulaski Technical College: two year community college in central Arkansas

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Area chefs to compete in Diamond Chef Arkansas preliminaries
3/2/2010

Pulaski Technical College's Diamond Chef Arkansas competition gets underway Wednesday, March 3, with preliminary competitions beginning at 12:30 p.m. in the Peabody Hotel Little Rock lobby.

Admission is free to the public.

The competition, sponsored by the Pulaski Technical College Foundation, follows the format of the popular television show "Chopped." Chefs are presented a mystery basket of ingredients and have 40 minutes plus the help of one sous chef to prepare a dish using all the ingredients.

Judges will score the dishes based on taste, presentation, creativity, sanitation and kitchen organization, and the top two chefs will advance to the Arkansas Diamond Chef finale on June 8 at the Statehouse Convention Center.

Preliminary competitions on March 3 are as follows:

12:30 p.m. - Heat 1 - Chef Brian Deloney (Maddie's Place) vs. Chef Jason Godwin (Simply the Best)
1:30 p.m. - Heat 2 - Chef Timothy Morton (1620) vs. Chef Jason Knapp (Pulaski Tech Big Rock Bistro)
2:30 p.m. - Heat 3 - Chef Diana Bratton (Caf?217 and Taco Mama) vs. Chef Daniel Capello (Chenal Country Club)
3:30 p.m. - Heat 4 - Chef Joseph McCullough (Best Impressions) vs. Chef Donnie Ferneau (Ferneau)
5 p.m. - Winner of Heat 1 vs. Winner of Heat 2
6 p.m. - Winner of Heat 3 vs. Winner of Heat 4

At the Diamond Chef Arkansas finale on June 8, chefs will create a three-course meal using a mystery ingredient announced just before the start of competition.

Tickets to the finale cost $150 per person and can be purchased by calling Jamie Higgins at (501) 812-2271 or e-mailing jhiggins@pulaskitech.edu

More than 300 students attend the Arkansas Culinary School housed at Pulaski Technical College Little Rock-South, at 13000 Interstate 30 in Little Rock. The college offers associate degrees in culinary arts and in hospitality management and technical certificates in culinary arts, baking and pastry, and wine and spirit studies.