Megan Ketover, CPC

Press Release

Cincinnati Pastry Chef Megan Ketover, CPC, Creates John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge on “Food Network Challenge: Cereal Bridges 2,” August 30

St. Augustine, Fla., August 31, 2009—Megan Ketover, certified pastry culinarian (CPC), pastry arts chef-instructor at Bakery Hill at Midwest Culinary Institute in Cincinnati, made her hometown proud by creating the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge on “Food Network Challenge: Cereal Bridges 2,” August 30.

Even with a broken saw that caused a 45-minute delay, and burnt hands, which were a result of using hot sugar as glue, Ketover received positive comments from the judges on her first Food Network competition. Although she didn’t win the competition or the $10,000 prize, judges noted that she was highly organized, had a great attitude, was well trained and that her presentation was a great start for a “Food Network Challenge rookie.”

“Overall, I was satisfied with how I did on the show,” Ketover said. “It’s just a day. You can’t beat yourself up over it. My bridge didn’t collapse, and I got the majority of the pieces on the bridge.”

In the show, four competitors were tasked with creating a four-foot replica of a famous bridge, made 75 percent with rice cereal treats. Ketover and her assistant Sarah Huskey, a student at Midwest Culinary Institute, built the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge in Cincinnati out of 140 pounds of rice cereal, pulled sugar, fondant and chocolate, with sugar as glue. Two days after she was cast for the show, she had to decide what bridge she would create. She chose the suspension bridge because it represented her hometown.

“I asked if I could do a bridge from my hometown, and they said if I proved that it was famous, I could,” she said. “I went to my local library to do research and found out that it was the precursor to the Brooklyn Bridge, and at one point, was the longest suspension bridge in the world. I love my hometown and wanted to show that.”

Ketover’s first cooking competition was in Boston in February where she was named the American Culinary Federation’s (ACF) Northeast Region Pastry Chef of the Year. Lessons learned in that competition, such as organization, remaining calm under pressure and accepting judges’ critiques, aided her in the “Food Network Challenge,” which was filmed in Denver April 30.

Ketover says the experience was an “exhilarating adventure,” and she hopes to participate in another “Food Network Challenge” in the future.

For more information about when Cereal Bridges 2 will air again, visit www.foodnetwork.com/food-network-challenge/index.html.

About the American Culinary Federation

The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America. With more than 22,000 members spanning 230 chapters nationwide, ACF is the culinary leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and accreditation. In addition, ACF operates the most comprehensive certification program for chefs in the United States. ACF is home to ACF Culinary Team USA, the official representative for the United States in major international culinary competitions. For more information, visit www.acfchefs.org.

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For photos and interviews, contact Leah Craig at lcraig@acfchefs.net or call (800) 624-9458, ext. 113.

Contact: Leah Craig
Communications Manager
(800) 624-9458, ext. 113
lcraig@acfchefs.net

• Cincinnati Pastry Chef Megan Ketover, CPC, Creates John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge on “Food Network Challenge: Cereal Bridges 2,” August 30