A student chef from Memphis wins S&D’s 5th annual culinary challenge

Concord, N.C.-based S&D Coffee & Tea (S&D) announced that Johnson & Wales University (JWU) Charlotte freshman Gillian Howard took top honors in its highly competitive annual S&D Culinary Challenge, held Feb. 24 at the school’s uptown Charlotte campus. The student chef, a native of Memphis, Tenn., wowed a distinguished panel of judges and a packed auditorium with her hometown-inspired dish titled “A Tennessee Date Night,” coffee-infused date cake with tea and lemon ice cream, and walked away with the grand prize of $5,000.

Students were invited to submit original recipes using S&D coffee and tea extracts, with 10 submissions making it through to the finals round. Local culinary celebrities Jenny Brulé, chef and food writer, and Jim Noble, founder of Jim Noble Restaurants LLC, The King’s Kitchen and Rooster’s Wood-Fired Kitchen, served as chef mentors to the finalists preparing them for the head-to-head battle in the live cooking finale.