Thank you to everyone who joined NJAC for an outstanding 69th annual celebration of county government where our numbers were at all-time high. Believe it or not, we are already planning on how to make next year’s celebration even better, so please take a moment to share with us your thoughts and suggestions that we will discuss with our conference committee within the next week or so. In the meantime, please join me in congratulating our 2019 award winners:
MAURICE FITZGIBBONS FREEHOLDER OF THE YEAR AWARD
COUNTY SERVICE AWARDS
FREEHOLDER HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2019
NOTE: Not present were Camden County Freeholders Edward T. McDonnell and Jeffrey Nash, Essex County Freeholder Patricia Sebold, Gloucester County Freeholder Robert Damminger, and Hudson County Freeholder Albert J. Cifelli.
PETER PALMER BUSINESS ASSOCIATE OF THE YEAR AWARD
The 8th Annual County Vocational-Technical School Cook-Off Challenge once again stole the show as culinary art students from Bergen, Cumberland, Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Monmouth, Morris, Passaic, Sussex, and Union counties competed for titles in taste, creativity, and food preparation. Check out the winners and their incredible dishes below:
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
Gold Medal – $1,000.00 Scholarship
Cumberland County Technical Education Center
Beef Brisket served in a crispy corn tortilla with jalapeno relish and avocado creme
Silver Medal – $500.00 Scholarship
Bergen County Technical Schools – Paramus Campus
Mayan Rice Ball served with braised pork, spicy sauce, & pickled red onions
Bronze Medal – $250.00 Scholarship
Passaic County Technical Institute
Short Rib Voulevant
NJAC JUDGES AWARD – TASTE CATEGORY
Gold Medal
Ocean County Vocational Technical School – Brick Center – Miniature Ramen Bowl
Silver Medal
Cumberland County Technical Education Center – Beef Brisket served in a crispy corn tortilla with jalapeno relish and avocado crema
Bronze Medal
Bergen County Technical Schools – Paramus Campus – Mayan Rice Ball served with braised pork, spicy sauce & pickled red onions
NJAC JUDGES – STATION DISPLAY CATEGORY
Gold Medal
Sussex County Technical School
Silver Medal
Passaic County Technical School
Bronze Medal
Essex County Schools of Technology – West Caldwell Campus
PROFESSIONAL CHEFS – TASTE CATEGORY
Gold Medal
Union County Vocational-Technical Schools – Shrimp Ceviche served on a sweet potato polenta with leche de tiger
Silver Medal
Bergen County Technical Schools – Paramus Campus – Mayan Rice Ball served with braised pork, spicy sauce & pickled red onions
Bronze Medal
Cumberland County Technical Education Center – Beef Brisket served in a crispy corn tortilla with jalapeno relish and avocado crema
PROFESSIONAL CHEFS – FOOD PRESENTATION CATEGORY
Gold Medal
Sussex County Technical School
Silver Medal
Union County Vocational-Technical Schools
Bronze Medal
Hudson County Schools of Technology – High Tech High School
Additional outstanding dishes included: Essex County Schools of Technology – West Caldwell Campus serving Broad Street Port Italian Bite nestled in a Philly fried onion nest & served with broccoli rabe; Hudson County Schools of Technology – High Tech High School serving Hive Tech Honey Siracha Glazed Duck; Mercer County Technical Schools serving Hirata Buns; Monmouth County Vocational Culinary Education Center serving Avocado Toast with Tuna Poke & Lobster; Morris County Vocational School District serving Duck Rilette; and, Sussex County Technical School serving Braised Eastern Quail Roulade on a wild rice cake with port wine reduction.
And special thanks to the Harmonious Hoots from Union County College for performing They That Wait; More Than I Can Bear; and Golden; and, to Essex County’s Donald Payne School of Technology for performing How Deep is Your Love; Elijah Rock; and If Ever I Fail. They were fantastic and the audience could have listened to them sing all night.
Our new segment of Pasta and Politics but no Pasta with host Nick Acocella, Altantic County Executive Dennis Levinson, Monmouth County Freeholder Thomas Arnone, Camden County Freeholder Jonathan Young, Sr., and NJAC President and Essex County Freeholder President Brendan Gill were outstanding. We plan to make it an annual event with Nick interviewing new county leaders each year. Thank you again for your support.
