Posted on the Asheville Citizen Times website on August 5, 2025
Asheville — It was a turbulent year for Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College's Hot Food Team, as the emerging culinary artists endured Tropical Storm Helene and were forced to adapt to a coach switch-up ahead of competing on a national stage.
Yet, the hard work and perseverance paid off as they returned to Asheville with a gold medal and glory.
On July 29, the five-student culinary team competed in the American Culinary Federation's national finals in Las Vegas. The team was comprised of Ezrah Hanson (captain), Martin Deyman, Josh Jimison, Jack Ramsey, and Carolina Salas.
On July 31, the emerging chef team was announced at the ACF's gala as the second-place team, still earning gold medals, certificates, and golden toques (the traditional chef's hat), based on ACF's scoring system.
A-B Tech's Hot Food Team has won the Southeast Regionals 16 times.
It's the second consecutive year the team has placed gold, previously winning in 2007 and 2024.
A-B Tech's Award-Winning Menu
Hanson, who graduated from the two-year Associate of Arts program in May, said A-B Tech's program and the competition series taught him lessons that he can apply in his career, including in teambuilding, time management, delegating tasks, and preparedness.
Hanson, a front-of-the-house shift manager at the James Beard Award-winning restaurant, Chai Pani, also operates a pop-up called Two Birds, One Scone, and aspires to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant after gaining more in-field experience.
"We went into this competition as winners already because we got the experience of being on the team, we learned so much from these great chefs, and there was organization, cleanliness, and teamwork you develop," Hanson said.
The competing teams were allotted 90 minutes to prepare a four-course meal. A-B Tech's menu featured an entrée of a sweet tea-brined pork chop with peach blackberry compote, pulled pork barbecue croquette, peach emulsion, poached sausage, potato tournée, okra and corn succotash, blackberry pork reduction, and crisp okra.
The menu also included a summer salad and sesame and amaranth-crusted red snapper appetizer. The complex dessert incorporated berries, lemon sponge cake, pink peppercorn shortbread, mint julep sauce, hops marigold ice cream, and more.
Weathering Tropical Storm Helene, Coach Changes
In addition to the pressure of competing, A-B Tech's students had to overcome the challenges of completing regular classes amid Tropical Storm Helene, which delayed classes and practices when the college was closed for several weeks last fall.
Then, after winning the ACF regionals in the spring, the longtime instructor and team coach, Chris Bugher, departed the college to pursue a career outside of the education field.
Chef Michelle Bailey, an A-B Tech culinary arts graduate who has returned often to serve as an adjunct instructor, judge, and mentor, accepted the invitation to lead the Hot Food Team as its coach.
"I was so proud of what they did to pull together with a new coach and to put their trust in them, and to give it everything they had and then some. The results speak for themselves ― it was a huge win," said Cathy Horton, director of The Brumit Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality and department chair of Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management.
Bailey said the team practiced twice a week for nearly 12 weeks.
Bailey said her experience as a student on the Hot Food Team in 2007, earning A-B Tech the first national title, was useful as she understood what the students were facing and the high expectations, having gone through it herself.
"It was a pleasure to watch them for the last three months, and I'm proud of them for bringing that gold medal back to A-B Tech," said Bailey, former owner and executive chef of the now-defunct Smoky Park Supper Club.
Bailey said the lead judge for the national competition provided a positive critique to the team, commending their ambitious menu with many components, solid execution, and the good sportsmanship and professionalism they showed throughout the competition.
A-B Tech's two-year program will resume in the fall, with auditions for the Hot Food Team scheduled for September. Bailey said coaching the team was a rewarding experience, and she will return next school year.
For more about A-B Tech's culinary arts department, visit Culinary Arts and Hospitality.