Two chefs will go head-to-head Oct. 1-2 to help address food insecurity on college campuses. Centenary College Chef Chef Norman Hunt and Northwestern State University Chef Jimier Anderson will compete for votes in the inaugural Cooking for a Cause event sponsored by Sodexo, the universities’ food service partner.
“As we observe Food Insecurity Month, we have organized a cooking competition that not only allows our chefs to engage with our students but also raises awareness of this pressing issue. Students will have the opportunity to make a difference by donating their unused meals to those in need,” said Phoebe Cook, South Louisiana and Mississippi District Manager of Sodexo Universities.
Hunt will prepare Fall Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup with Apricot. Anderson will prepare Chicken Street Tacos with Cilantro Lime Rice and Baja Back Beans. The dishes will be served for lunch at Centenary on Tuesday, Oct. 1. On Wednesday, Oct. 2, they will be served front and center at the deli station in Iberville Dining Hall on the NSU campus from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Students, faculty, staff and the community are invited to taste the entries and vote for their favorite.
As part of Cooking for a Cause, Sodexo will match student meal card swipes 1:1 for the Swipe Out Hunger program, which provides free meal swipes to students in need of food assistance. Individuals without meal cards can pay the regular meal price at the door and additional revenue will benefit NSU’s Food Pantry. Guests can sample both entries and vote for their favorite. Final votes will be collected at 1 p.m. and the winner announced.
Student groups are expected to participate to lend a festive atmosphere to the event.
Norman Hunt is representing Centenary College of Louisiana. From Metairie, Louisiana, his love for cooking began in childhood with his grandmother, a skilled Filipino cook who baked bread and grew her own vegetables. He recalls that his family focused on the art of meal preparation rather than documenting recipes. “While everyone can make dinner, true chefs honor the ingredients, enhancing their natural flavors,” he says, a philosophy he aims to pass to his children. Chef Hunt honed his culinary expertise at the Ritz- Carlton in both New Orleans and St. Louis before becoming part of the Sodexo team. His impressive resume includes serving a range of celebrities and U.S. presidents.
For information on joining the fight against hunger visit www.HelpStopHunger.org.