With just 60 minutes to cook, 10 minutes to plate, and 5 minutes for some wiggle room, pressure mounted as Phyllis Kaplowitz raced the clock — watched by an audience and judges — during the 2026 Northeast Culinary Challenge, hosted by the National Association of College & University Food Services. The competition, held March 5 at Boston College, demanded speed and ingenuity as Kaplowitz worked to finish her dish before time ran out. The campus executive chef at Boston College, and a Framingham resident, was one of six campus dining chefs competing from the Northeast. Her rivals represented Fairfield University, Smith College, UMass Amherst, Rhode Island School of Design, and the University at Buffalo. Each chef received the same challenge: create an original dish with their own recipe using two to three 5-pound gutted whole catfish and fresh okra. Six weeks before the event, they learned what ingredients they’d be working with. Now, more than just bragging rights were at stake — the winner would earn the coveted chance to represent their region at the National Conference in New Orleans this July.
Even though Kaplowitz had once competed as a finalist on the TV series “Chopped,” she says this challenge still felt intense. “It was nerve-racking — especially being on my own turf with my managers watching.” For weeks, she debated what to cook. At first, she planned to give these Southern ingredients a New England twist. Then she changed course. “I told myself, do what you know,” she says. “And I gravitate toward Asian flavors.”
Her dish turned out to be a catfish and pickled vegetable roulade, tempura togarashi okra, catfish shrimp shumai, coconut red curry, lemongrass cilantro oil, rice noodles, and Thai basil. In short, she created a coconut curry Southeast Vietnamese–inspired noodle bowl, with okra transformed into crisp tempura.
When the results were announced later, Kaplowitz says, “I was in shock.” She had won first place — and on top of the honor, she had also earned a rare gold medal from the American Culinary Federation.
Now Kaplowitz goes on to New Orleans this summer, where she will prepare the same dish again as she competes against the top contenders from the five other regions across the country for the national win. “Being confident in my execution is comforting, but I’ll be flying to a whole different level of stress, she says.
Ann Trieger Kurland can be reached at anntrieger@gmail.com.
