Student cooking competition and scholarship fundraiser kicks off in March with Culinary Arts and Hospitality Students
Ten students in City College of San Francisco’s (CCSF) Culinary Arts & Hospitality Studies have been chosen to participate in the annual Culinary Clash at the InterContinental San Francisco’s Luce restaurant and InterContinental Mark Hopkins’ Nob Hill Club. In its 9th year, the program invites culinary students to take over the hotel restaurant kitchens for an evening, mentoring under the executive chef and presenting their own menus on a designated night starting on March 7. The students compete for scholarship monies and a portion of each menu sold during each dinner goes to the culinary department’s Chuck Williams, Williams-Sonoma Scholarship Fund. The Culinary Clash has raised more than $60,000 for local scholarship to date.
Following an internal competition in late 2019, the ten students were organized into teams of two and were tasked with conceptualizing a three-course menu for service. For some students, the competition is their first time in a professional kitchen and for others, they grew up in family-owned restaurants. Representing the immediate Bay Area and as far away as Thailand, these ten students have entered the Culinary Arts & Hospitality Studies as career changers as well as first time college students, bringing with them their own passions and culinary inspirations which are represented on their menus.
“This is our second year in the Culinary Clash, and it is such an incredible opportunity for our students,” says Lorna Shea, CCSF Program Advisor for the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Studies Department. “We are
so proud and impressed with the students who take part in the program and grateful to the hotel culinary teams for giving them a unique experience outside of our classrooms.”
The Culinary Arts and Hospitality Studies Department at CCSF was founded in 1936 and is one of the longest-running culinary programs in the country. Its graduates have gone on to own and operate renowned restaurants in the Bay Area and include Jeff Hanak (Nopa, Nopalito, Liholiho Yacht Club), Belinda Leong (b. Patisserie) and Sam Mogannam (Bi-Rite).
How it Works
CCSF students are invited to submit menus and recipes to their advisors and the hotel team. They are asked to prepare them to fit within a particular price point and style to mimic a working kitchen environment. The selected students are then organized into teams of two and work closely with the chefs at Luce at the InterContinental San Francisco or Nob Hill Club at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins on refining their menu and executing it for their night of service.
Culinary Clash dinners include an appetizer, entrée, and dessert as well as an optional wine pairing. The three-course menu is $40 per person and an additional $25 for the wine pairing, excluding tax and gratuity. Menus are judged by a panel of hotel executives, local tastemakers and influencers, and food writers, as well as guests of each restaurant that evening. One winning CCSF team from each hotel will be named and announced in early April.
Upcoming Dinners
Upcoming dinner dates are as follows.
- Saturdays – March 7, 14 and 21 from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at Nob Hill Club at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins (One Nob Hill); for reservations contact Nob Hill Club 415-392-3434 or visit Resy.
- Sundays – March 22 and March 29 from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at Luce at the InterContinental San Francisco (888 Howard Street); for reservations contact Luce at 415-616-6566 or visit OpenTable.
Winners of the local Culinary Clash competition go on to compete in the Ultimate Culinary Clash where they vie for additional scholarship with InterContinental Hotels & Resorts properties from across North America. This event is held on May 6 at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins. Last year, the CCSF team at Luce at the InterContinental San Francisco took home top honors and will be defending their title in 2020.
Reservations are required and seating is limited. For more information on Luce at the InterContinental San Francisco or Nob Hill Club at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins as well as further details on the
Culinary Clash, please visit www.intercontinentalsanfrancisco.com or www.intercontinentalmarkhopkins.com.