Rockland Community College's Top Student Chefs Battle It Out in Epic Pizza Cook-Off in New City

Fans of the Food Network show, Chopped, can get a taste of the action on February 5, 2023, as four rising chefs from the Culinary Arts Program at Rockland Community College compete to become the next “Celebrity Pizza Master.”

RCC teamed up with Dave Noll, co-creator of Chopped, as well as Celebrity Cruise Line and local travel firm, Walters Wanderings Travel, to put together this special event that showcases the talented student chefs.

Audience members will receive special incentives to cruise with Noll and discover more about the popular cooking competition show while tasting the students’ Alaska-themed pizza creations. The winning chef will receive a $1,000 prize and attendees will receive door prizes from the event sponsors.

The cook-off takes place at 1:45 pm at Gio’s Restaurant Bar and Grill, 253 South Little Tor Road, New City, and features Rockland Community College Hospitality and Culinary Arts students, Catherine King, Warwick resident, Alex Katavolos, Nyack resident, Michael Hendrickson, New City resident, and Jason Gonzalez Perdomo, Haverstraw resident.

"This unique collaboration between Rockland Community College, Dave Noll, Celebrity Cruise Line, and Walters Wanderings Travel truly highlights the exceptional talent and creativity of our Culinary Arts Program students," said Chris Spezial, RCC Program Director for the Hospitality and Culinary Arts program. "I am thrilled for our student chefs to have this opportunity to showcase their skills and for audiences to experience the excitement of Chopped in a one-of-a-kind setting."

For more information about the Rockland Community College Hospitality and Culinary Arts program, please email Chris Spezial, RCC Culinary Arts Program Director, at chris.spezial@sunyrockland.edu.

Tickets for the event are available for $25 and can be purchased by registering at Evite. For more information, please call 845-558-1225 or email Scott@walterswanderingstravel.com.

About Rockland Community College, State University of New York

Rockland Community College offers a safe, supportive learning environment for thousands of students from diverse backgrounds. Many of the programs offered —including culinary arts — are designed to teach specific skills in a concentrated time frame so students can start a new career, earning a good salary, in less than one year. More information can be found at https://sunyrockland.edu/