Senior Foodies from Atlantic Shores Retirement Community Serve as Judges at Soup-er Stars Scholar

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Jan. 29, 2014 - PRLog -- On January 17, 2014, fine-food-fan residents from Atlantic Shores Retirement Community (http://www.atlanticshoresliving.com) used their discerning palates to serve as judges for the Culinary Institute of Virginia’s “Soup-er Stars” competition, pitting 10 CIV student teams against each other to create the most wildly unique soup. As part of the CIV Culinary Competition Series, aspiring culinarians worked in teams of two, in a fast-paced, head-on competition to create a variety of unique soups incorporating specific recipe requirements.

This cross-generational culinary event gave passionate students the chance to compete for real world diners, and the opportunity to see their patron’s reactions. While students were preparing their creations, the Atlantic Shores judging team participated in a special CIV seminar on Umami: Discovering Your Fifth Sense of Taste.

It was down to the wire in the final minutes, as students raced to put the finishing touches on their dishes, and create the perfect presentation. Then the Atlantic Shores judges considered the appearance, presentation, taste, flavor, appropriateness, and execution of each soup, and used their refined palates to select the ones they thought were “souper.”

Student chefs John Morrisroe and Connie Cox’s delicious Zuppa Stars and Soup (tomato basil with fried mozzarella croutons) was voted their favorite overall soup.

To support the next generation of chefs, Atlantic Shores awarded a total of $4,500 in cash scholarships for the top three winning culinary teams, and to the best “Front of House” team, that did the best job presenting their soup and interacting with the judges. Scholarships will be used to help defray tuition and fees.

Known for their nouveau-senior cuisine, Atlantic Shores Retirement Community in Virginia Beach creates cutting-edge dishes to satisfy the demanding palates of today’s sophisticated, “foodie” retirees. The community has three dining outlets, 23 culilariarians, and a staff of 100 food and beverage professionals that create high-quality dishes for daily meals, snacks and on-site catered events for 650 Atlantic Shores residents and their guests. www.atlanticshoresliving.com