Robert Morris University Illinois Students Bring Home Gold

Making the cut for a student competition against difficult odds is an achievement in itself. When the odds are 11 out of 300, those who find themselves in the elite eleven also face a significant amount of pressure to succeed. To bring home a gold medal, is the icing on the cake! Robert Morris University welcomed them home with a celebration today - and there was plenty of cake.

Robert Morris University (RMU) culinary students Ethan Zuk of Highland, Michigan and Morgan Nash from Aurora, Illinois faced such pressure when they participated in the World Association of Culinary Societies (WACS) and the Federazione Italiana Cuochi (Italian Chefs Federation, FIC) Campionati della Cucina Italiana 2018 in Rimini, Italy. They were two of eleven students from several different countries who competed against professional cooks and chefs in two events of the competition. Morgan won a gold medal for her
efforts in a chocolate sculpture competition.

The "Campionati" (or championships) is part of larger food festival which draws attendance from around the world. This year's event included contests in hot and cold preparation, pastry, pastry art, confectionary for restaurants, live demonstrations, timed food preparation and best student recognition.

Ethan and Morgan were selected by Chef Andrea Trapani, executive chefof Apicius International School of Hospitality in Florence, based upon their performances at Apicius during their RMU study abroad internship in the fall. Shelley LaMantia, director of RMU's International Studies,and Brad Hindsley, chair of RMU's culinary program, have worked with both students in the RMU kitchens and in the classroom. "Chef Andrea
explained that the Campionati event has students compete against professionals," said Ms. LaMantia. "He says that since both Robert Morris and Apicius train students to become chefs, they should be competing against professional chefs."

Ethan and Morgan competed in the"cold competition" and Morgan participated in an additional event, pastry art, which is a contest that features creating sculpture with chocolate.

Presently, Ethan works part time at Tiki Terrace in DesPlaines, IL. He aims to getas much experience at different restaurants in the Chicago area and eventually run his own fine dining restaurant kitchen. Morgan works at The Art Institute for Bon Appetit Management and she hopes to travel after college, getting experience in the world of pastry, and eventually managing her own pastry team.

Robert Morris University Illinois is a not-for-profit, accredited baccalaureate and graduate degree granting institution, serving students interested in getting an education in business, graphic arts, nursing and health care, culinary and computer studies at its main campus in Chicago, as well as at locations in Arlington Heights, DuPage, Elgin, Orland Park, Springfield, Peoria, Schaumburg and Lake County. For more
information, call 800-762-5960 or visit the web site at http://www.robertmorris.edu