Boston College chef wins Northeast title in Culinary Challenge

Boston College chef wins Northeast title in Culinary Challenge

Phyllis Kaplowitz advances to national competition in New Orleans

CHESTNUT HILL, MASSACHUSETTS – Phyllis Kaplowitz, campus executive chef at Boston College, has earned first place in the National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) 2026 Northeast Culinary Challenge. The rousing cooking competition held Thursday afternoon at Boston College was part of NACUFS Engage: Northeast, an educational and networking conference for professionals working in campus dining. Kaplowitz will move on to compete at the NACUFS 2026 National Conference on July 15 in New Orleans, where she will face off against other regional winners from across the country.

In addition to earning first place in the Northeast, Kaplowitz earned a gold medal from the American Culinary Federation (ACF) for her dish, coconut curry seafood noodle bowl—catfish and pickled vegetable roulade, tempura togarashi okra, catfish shrimp shumai, coconut red curry, lemongrass cilantro oil, rice noodles and Thai basil.

Kaplowitz said she was shocked to hear her name announced as the first-place winner and to realize she would be representing her institution at the national competition.

“It was surreal. It was an out-of-body experience. I didn’t think that I was going to win, and I was surrounded by so many other amazing chefs that I was humbled to just have the experience,” Kaplowitz said. “It means so much to represent Boston College in this competition. I work with an amazing team and to be their spokesperson through this is very humbling.”

Kaplowitz said she set out to present catfish and okra in a way that reimagined the ingredients beyond their traditional Southern roots.

“I wanted to do something out of the box and different,” Kaplowitz said.  “I tend to gravitate toward Asian flavors, so I turned it into a noodle bowl using southeast Vietnamese flavors and then okra as tempura.”

With over 25 years in fine dining, high-end catering, and educational food service, Kaplowitz leads a team of more than 150 people in daily operations and designs and leads culinary workshops, training programs, and safety sessions. A proud competitor on Food Network’s Chopped, she has also had the honor of cooking at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City.

Earning second place in Thursday’s competition was Peter Masiero of Smith College and in third place was Caleb Pham of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. They earned ACF silver medals, along with William Reardon of Fairfield University and Kaprishia Covington of the University at Buffalo. Nathaniel Buzard of the Rhode Island School of Design earned a bronze medal.

Launched in 2001 and adjudicated by the ACF, the NACUFS Culinary Challenge celebrates the exceptional culinary talent in collegiate foodservice. Each year, chefs create an original, nutritionally balanced dish featuring a designated protein, competing on organization, technique, and taste—all judged on a 100-point scale.

The NACUFS Culinary Challenge is sponsored by Cintas. For more information, visit www.NACUFS.org/Events/Culinary-Challenge.

About NACUFS

The National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) has been supporting excellence in collegiate dining since 1958. Through education, networking, and programs like the Culinary Challenge, NACUFS empowers food service professionals to innovate and lead on campus.