Metz Culinary Management, Inc. (Metz) held its annual Ultimate Cake Competition at Niagara University in March. This year, eight student teams participated in decorating an eight-inch round cake with students voting for the best design.
“The Metz team coordinates a yearly Ultimate Cake Competition at Niagara University to spark student engagement and get students excited about working together in a spirit of fun and shared creativity,” said Emily Scarsella, Metz Marketing Manager. “We also hold both gingerbread and chef competitions every year, but the Ultimate Cake Competition in the spring seems to be the favorite among the students.”
Teams were made up of friends just getting together or university athletes representing specific sports groups. The competition is staged with tables arranged in a square configuration with decorating supplies on a separate table in the middle. Members of eight teams have just one hour to grab ingredients from the decorating supply table and create their masterpieces. All cakes remain on display for one week, and students vote in person or online for their favorite. All winning team members receive Amazon gift cards.
“It is exciting to see these students work together in a culinary project and just have fun together,” said Megan Szczygiel, Metz Admin. “All of our student competitions,cake decorating, gingerbread building and chef competitions, are designed to promote student comradery around the college dining experience.”
“We plan to expand the Ultimate Cake Competition to other university dining partners in the near future,” said Anthony Renda, Metz Regional Executive Chef. “The students have a really good time expressing themselves through this event and others like it.”