Henry Wainer, right, pose with finalists after they hand-picked produce at the
Jansal Valley Farm in Westport, Mass. They include, from left to right: Kyle
Pafford, Thomas McKeown, James Mark, Robert Lybarnd and John Higgins. |
 While “cabbage” can be slang for money, “eggplant” worked just as well for Robert Lybrand. A senior from the Charlotte Campus, he won the grand prize of $13,000 in the Jansal Valley Recipe Contest sponsored by Sid Wainer & Son Specialty Produce, Specialty Foods. His recipe for warm terrine of eggplant, red pepper and goat cheese, included vegetables he picked that morning at the Jansal Valley Farm in Westport, Mass. In summer 2005.
The contest was the brainchild of Henry Wainer ’00 HDR, president of Sid Wainer & Son and a supporter of the university through cooperative education opportunities and scholarships. “We wanted to remind students of the importance of not losing touch with the farm, where a chef’s raw materials come from,” Wainer said. “By sponsoring a vegetarian recipe contest, focusing on fresh produce, Sid Wainer & Son encourages our potential future customers to think about quality and creativity.”
Five finalists - chosen from entrants at all campuses - had two hours at the Sid Wainer kitchens to transform farm fresh produce into their original recipes. Local culinary experts, including dean of the College of Culinary Arts Kevin Duffy; food writer, Brian Lowney, and radio personality and host of “Dining Out,” Bruce Newbury, had the difficult choice of deciding which plate offered the most in terms of presentation, creative use of product, taste, and case of preparation.
Newbury said, “I could be vegetarian if I ate like this all the time.” And Lowney declared that a dish he had eaten in a restaurant the night before “paled in comparison” to Lybrand’s recipe.
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