BYU chef wins culinary challenge, moves on to nationals

In a competition where every second, flavor and presentation detail matter, chef AJ Tan cooked his way to first place earning BYU a spot on the national culinary stage.

On April 28, BYU chef AJ Tan travelled to the University of Denver to compete in the Regional National Association of College and University Food Services Continental Culinary Challenge.

The challenge brought together four chefs from Utah, Wyoming and Idaho, all hoping to earn a spot at nationals in New Orleans.

Whoever wins in that regional would be moving forward to the national competition, which would be held in New Orleans," Tan said.

At the competition, Tan was tasked with creating a dish using 10 different components.

The components just vary between a lot of things: You have your main, which is your catfish, and then your okra," he said.

From the start, Tan says he had a clear vision for how he wanted to approach the dish.

"When I found out about the main components, I immediately had an idea," he said.

Tan began developing the recipe and looked to executive chef John McDonald for guidance.

He pretty much said, Oh yeah, this would work. And then last year we started brainstorming and coming up with ideas on how we were going to finish the food, make it look really nice, and then of course taste good," Tan said.

In December, Tan and McDonald officially began refining the dish.

"We probably had a dozen renditions before we came up with the dish that we presented," McDonald said.

The final plate featured southern-inspired flavors with a touch of Tan's Philippine influence through coconut milk.

I made an okra with a southern-style seasoning, and it was really sticking out. And then the catfish was filled with crab filling, but it wasnt overpowering the catfish," Tan said.

After months of preparation, chef Tan arrived at the competition.

There was a lot of pressure, especially if its your first time doing it. Theyre very picky on how they want things," he said.

Despite the pressure, chef Tan received the highest score among the other competitors.

Oh, I mean, its always ecstatic. Hes our second competitor in the past two years to win it, so were on a roll," McDonald said.

Now, chef Tan is advancing to the national competition in New Orleans this July. Until then, chef McDonald says the team will continue refining the dish based on judges' feedback.

"We'll work on those to make sure he gets a high gold," McDonald said.

Chef AJ Tan says he's already back in the kitchen preparing for the nationals this July.