Sinclair360

For most of us, a night out whether to the theatre or the ballet includes dinner. Eating out is a part of what defines a local culture. In fact, unique, homegrown restaurants, clubs and bars are just as important to tourism as the performing and fine arts offerings in a community.

For Dayton, many of our local eateries have Sinclair alumni cooking in the kitchen, managing the wait staff or planning special events. The Sinclair Hospitality Management program has had many successful graduates over the years. The department includes such majors as tourism, hotel and event management, hotel lodging and restaurant management, as well as the region’s largest culinary arts program.

The Sinclair Culinary program began in 1993. Over the years, more than 10,000 students have come through the intense and popular program.

One of the most prestigious positions any culinary student can achieve while attending Sinclair is to serve as a member of the competition team. Handpicked by faculty members and the chair of the department, the culinary competition team includes five students with one alternate.

“Generally, we start with 7-10 students who express interest,” said Steve Cornelius, chair of the culinary program. “The group is then tested on their efficiency and accuracy in the kitchen. We are monitoring everything from the precision of their knife cuts to how clean they keep their workspace to the final presentation.”

Even more important is each student’s level of dedication. Being on the competition team requires around 10 hours of practice every week for several months. This time is over and above the student’s many hours of classroom and lab work.

All of the work leads up to a statewide competition in late January. The American Culinary Federation oversees the competition. Each team is given the same entree recipe which they must interpret and then develop a 3-5 course meal. The team must complete their meal within 75 minutes while judges monitor how well the team works together and observing efficiencies, procedures and overall presentation.

In the 10 years that Sinclair has had a competition team, they have medaled four times, including a bronze medal just this year. For students, participation on the team significantly enhances their resume. In addition, the experience is incredibly valuable.

Sinclair culinary alumni have held positions in many of Dayton’s unique restaurants, including the former Pacchia, L’Auberge and Jay’s Seafood. Others, like Keith Taylor, have gone on to open and manage their own restaurant. Taylor’s Savona Restaurant and Wine Bar in Centerville took over the former Eclipse space on Far Hills. It has been featured on Dayton’s Most Metro website and in Dayton B2B Magazine.

“We are proud of all of our graduates,” said Cornelius. “There is no better compliment to an instructor than to have your students be successful.”

So the next time you are headed to dinner on your way to a great performance at the Schuster or looking for a unique dining experience in the Dayton community, keep in mind that the chef preparing your food could very well be a Sinclair student or graduate.

By Meghann Heft

Meghann Heft recently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Dayton. She can be reached at meghann.heft@gmail.com.