Meet the University Chefs Competing in the 2024 NACUFS Seafood Culinary Challenge

The National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) is gearing up for its major annual gathering, the 2024 NACUFS National Conference, which will be held this year at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville.

Since NACUFS was founded in 1958, the conference has become a benchmark for collaboration and innovation in campus dining. This year’s event will feature a trade show and educational sessions addressing campus dining issues, from AI to allergy awareness and many other topics.

The highly anticipated Culinary Challenge, the crown jewel of the conference, will bring together college chefs from across the country to compete for the national title, a cash prize and an American Culinary Federation (ACF) medal. The competition tests the skills of a successful college chef: organization, talent, technique, taste and style.

Competitors will compete against each other and compete to prepare their original recipe, which consists of fresh branzino (head and fins on, gutted and scaled), bulgur and tail-on white shrimp. They must use these three proteins to create a nutritionally balanced plate of starch, vegetables and sauce that will impress the ACF judges, who are known for being real tough cookies.

Meet the chefs who will be stepping into the heat of the competition.