Practice makes perfect

Before this year, Chef Gary Lay hadn’t competed in any culinary competitions.

In the two he’s now taken part in — one in February and one in April — he went home with silver medals both times.

Chef Lay, the executive chef at StoryPoint Waterville, a senior living community, had his most recent win at the 10th Annual Roland E. Schaeffer Culinary Classic, the nation’s largest American Culinary Federation culinary competition. The event was held at Baker College in Port Huron, Mich., with more than 150 industry professionals and students competing.

“I don’t think there’s a lot of senior living community chefs that do this kind of stuff,” the executive chef said, noting he was one of very few to compete at the competition in late April. “The great thing about StoryPoint is they encourage it. ... We actually have our own competition teams.”

Preparing for an experience like this is all about planning, he said, “because you know yourself better than anyone.” It’s essential to know how you work in the kitchen, what your skills are, and what you’re prepared to do.

Chef Vince Jones, the regional executive chef for StoryPoint Group, has worked with Chef Lay for about two years and has been helping him gear up for the competitions.

“I have competed over 20 times,” Chef Jones said. “And [Chef Gary’s] first go, he got a silver medal. His second go, he had another silver medal. I’m just very impressed by the determination. Chef Gary is a really good chef and a really good person, too.”

When giving feedback to Chef Lay, the regional chef said he took his advice to heart — perfecting the dish until he got it right.

“At the end of the day, I can give you all the feedback in the world, but the thing that’s going to prepare, propel you, and get you comfortable is you have to know that you can do it,” Chef Jones said. “You still have to execute it based off your hands, because I can’t go in there and do it for you.”

Watching his colleague compete, starting with whole ingredients he had to break down, the pressure of top chefs watching you, and the clock ticking down, was a proud moment for Chef Jones.

“It was really cool to see him lock in, focus, but then he still was having fun, and he was just being himself,” he continued. “He’s ready to keep on going on this journey. It means a lot to be able to mentor somebody who has the passion of Chef Gary and also has the leadership.”

The recent competition

Chef Lay competed in the Contemporary Hot Food category at the Roland E. Schaeffer Culinary Classic. He had 15 minutes to set up his station, an hour to cook, and 10 minutes to execute four plates.

The dish he chose to make was pan-seared chicken with chicken sausage, a parsnip puree, a fondant-style potato, and a batonnet of maple pecan-glazed carrots; these are recipes he’s been working on for months as he earned his Certified Executive Chef certification earlier this year.

In the process of refining the dish, the component that changed the most was the chicken, he said. He felt confident with the texture of the puree, the classic French preparation of the crisp potatoes, and the sweet taste of the uniform carrots.

“One of the biggest things they judge you on is sanitation,” he said. “Then after that, it’s things like taste and texture, plating ... did you plate on time, did the flavors work together.”

Different chefs from the Michigan area made up the judges panel, Chef Lay said. Certified executive chefs, pastry chefs, and even master chefs — the highest honor from the American Culinary Federation — were there both judging and competing.

The feedback he received was consistent with not being afraid to add a touch more seasoning, and some preferred a more savory carrot compared to his sweet rendition. The judges noted his chicken sausage had a good texture, but some could’ve used a bit less fennel. The chicken was the right temperature, juicy, and had crispy skin, and the puree and sauce were also complemented.

He received an 87 percent overall, getting him a silver medal — just three points away from gold. At the first competition he entered, he cooked the same dish and scored 86 percent. The chef plans to compete in more contests this year, one set for Cincinnati and another in New York in the fall, with the hopes of taking home a gold medal within the next few he competes in.

“I definitely want to compete as much as possible,” Chef Lay said. “I’ll probably do this chicken dish one more time, maybe a different variation. ... After that, I’ll try to do something different, that way it stays fresh and it stays fun.”