MSU Corporate Chef Kurt Kwiatkowski recently competed for Chef of the Year at the regional level. At the American Culinary Federation (ACF) ChefConnect in Minneapolis, MN, he presented a Colorado lamb duo of roasted lamb loin paired with lamb belly and bacon sausage. The full plate also featured stuffed morel mushroom, eggplant puree, oblique carrots and Romanesco, herbed farro, brunoise pickled beet and lamb jus.
Despite going over on time, which took him out of contention, judges received Chef Kurt’s concept well and shared valuable feedback on simple changes that would make a big impact.
Leading up to the competition, inspiration came from the ingredient Ras el Hanout, a North African seasoning recently featured during Recipe for Health. “I realized the seasoning worked great with lamb,” Chef Kurt recalled. “It kind of gives it a nice, warm hug of flavor without taking away from the lamb itself.”
To get the flavor profile right and work on technique, he practiced in the McDonel Hall corporate kitchen. He created the full plate about five times leading up to ChefConnect and conducted numerous other tests to improve components of the dish. In addition to providing a chance for him to compete at a very high level, Chef Kurt shared that, “from start to finish, it was a great experience that helped me grow more as a chef.”