GWINNETT – NORTH FULTON – Eljesa Haxhiu, a Culinary Arts student at Gwinnett Technical College, has won first place in a national recipe contest for Maple Leaf Farms, an Indiana-based producer of duck products.
Eljesa earned $2,500 for her creation — Citrus Seared Duck Breast with Herb Goat Cheese. Her win is also a win for Gwinnett Tech. The college’s Culinary Arts program will receive $1,000 in duck products.
The annual contest challenged professional chefs and culinary students to produce an original recipe showcasing Maple Leaf Farms duck. Over 260 recipes from across the country were submitted for both the chef and student categories. The recipes were judged on creativity, accuracy of recipe and flavor. View all the winners at http://www.mapleleaffarms.com/chefcontest/
Eljesa’s success is not without hard work and dedication that expands well beyond the classroom. “I spent about two weeks, literally every moment I was awake and asleep, thinking about what I wanted to pair the duck with and how I was going to plate it up. I honestly felt like I won a million dollars because of all the time I spent working on my recipe.”
Winning dish: Citrus Seared Duck Breast with Herb Goat Cheese
Kerri Crean, Culinary Arts program director at Gwinnett Tech has high praise for Eljesa. “It is the dream of all instructors for a student to walk into their classroom who helps them to grow. Eljesa’s passion and dedication to the craft inspires me to be a better instructor and continue to grow as a chef every day.”
Already an award-winning chef, Eljesa won a gold medal in Culinary Arts at the Georgia SkillsUSA State Competition and moved on to compete at the national level. To enhance her skills and cultivate her creativity, she participated in a cooking internship at Five and Ten in Athens.
Eljesa has plan for her winnings. “I plan on using the money to take a trip this winter break to go to Kosovo, the place I am from. I will be doing some research and development to open a restaurant in the future,” she said.
In the meantime, Eljesa has been hired as a lab assistant for the Culinary Arts program at Gwinnett Tech, where Crean believes her experiences will be inspiring to the other students.
The Culinary Arts associate degree program covers every aspect of modern cooking and trains students in the specialties of baking, hors d’oeuvres, pantry presentation and banquet-style dining. The program also teaches students how to run a restaurant by providing a foundation in the managerial and personal skills that are needed to interact with customers, manage employees, and successfully operate a business. Gwinnett Tech also offers a diploma in Culinary Arts, as well as several specialized certificate options.
GTC offers more than 50 degree, diploma and certificate student options that can be completed in two years or less. For more information, visit http://www.GwinnettTech.edu or call 770-962-7580.
About Gwinnett Tech
Gwinnett Technical College, one of Georgia’s largest technical colleges, is committed to delivering relevant knowledge to meet the workforce training needs of its community. The college offers morethan 50 associate degree, diploma and certificate programs and hundreds of seminars, workshops and courses providing specialized training. GTC is Gwinnett County’s largest provider of corporate training and now serves residents and businesses in north Fulton County.Gwinnett Technical College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award the associate degree. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Gwinnett Technical College. In addition, some college programs hold separate licensure or accreditation status with appropriate agencies. For more information, visit http://www.GwinnettTech.edu.
A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia.
