BYU Sous Chef Ruth Dubon Competes in National Culinary Challenge in Salt Lake City

Brigham Young University sous chef Ruth Dubon is set to compete in the National Association of College & University Food Services' 24th annual national culinary challenge at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City this week.

After preparing her signature dish over 40 times, Dubon feels confident in her abilities.

"I'm really excited. I feel like I have home-court advantage, cooking in my backyard," Dubon said.

Competing against five other university chefs, Dubon aims to impress the judges with her chicken and liver ballontine, accompanied by fried chicken liver, sautéed red Swiss chard, celery puree, and savory bread pudding.

"I'm trying to utilize as much of the ingredients that I can," she explained.

Dubon's extensive preparation and local support have bolstered her confidence as she represents BYU on the national stage.

"BYU has really helped me," Dubon said. "They've helped give me time to prepare up until this moment. I've had to do a lot of practicing, and so all my teammates, all my bosses, they're very supportive."

The competition is scheduled for Tuesday, with the winner to be announced on Wednesday morning.