Local News in Brief : Costa Mesa : OCC Students Cook Up German Cook-Off Trip

Six Orange Coast College students are going for a different kind of Olympic gold.

The students, enrolled in the community college’s Culinary Arts Program, are leaving Monday for Frankfurt, West Germany, to compete in the 1988 International Culinary Olympics, which are held every four years.

More than 100 teams from 38 countries will compete. “These chefs are the creme de la creme of the culinary world,” said OCC culinary instructor Robin Hood. “This is a fantastic learning experience for our students.”

The competition will begin Oct. 16 and extend through Oct. 20. More than 100,000 spectators are expected to attend. After the Culinary Olympics end, the Orange Coast students will tour Germany and France, visiting a variety of cooking schools and restaurants.

The OCC students competing in the Culinary Olympics are Robert Arcos and Phil Malone, both of Garden Grove; Chris Fagan and Steven Kasmar, both of Costa Mesa; Elizabeth Goldberg of Tustin and Anneke Sherohman of Westminster.

Orange Coast’s Culinary Arts Program, which last year earned accreditation from the American Culinary Federaton of Educational Institutes, prepares students for jobs in the restaurant and hospitality industry.