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Chef David Schneider: Toque of the Town
Chef Schneider: Toque of the Town
Virginia Wesleyan chef snags two national prizes and generates headlines for his gourmet grilled cheese, adds culinary cachet to campus life
By Leona Baker | November 23, 2010
Chef David Schneider probably never included Rice Krispies Treats® on the dessert menu of the fine dining establishments and prestigious resorts where he worked before coming on board as executive chef for Virginia Wesleyan in June of 2008. He probably didn’t go through 15 to 18 cases of French fries a week either.
What tempts the taste buds of college students and what appeals to full-grown foodies may not always overlap, but good taste is universal. Take for the example the gourmet grilled cheese recipe for which Schneider recently won two national awards. It’s not your mother’s grilled cheese. Made with rustic grain bread, Saga blue cheese, grilled asparagus, and black forest ham, it’s topped off with a generous slather of basil pesto on the outside for an extra layer of flavor and crunch when it hits the grill.
The sandwich was a hit with judges. It took second place in the 2009 “The Chef’s Wife”/American Culinary Federation awards and first place along with an accompanying salad in the 2009 University & College Fresh ’N Fit Recipe Contest sponsored by the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association.
It was also a hit with VWC students when Schneider included it on the lunch menu at Boyd Dining Hall in early November. One hundred sandwiches quickly sold out. The grilled cheese and its creator were the focus of a front-page feature in the “Flavor” section of the November 3 edition of the Virginian-Pilot. A video of Chef Schneider making the sandwich also appears on the HamptonRoads.tv website.
Virginian-Pilot food writer Lorraine Eaton called it a “voluptuous sandwich that is at once creamy – the blue cheese drips seductively down the crust – and crunchy – brought on by the al dente asparagus and the crisped bread.”
Of course, Chef Schneider’s oeuvre includes much more than grilled cheese sandwiches.
Like many chefs, Schneider’s love of food began in his mother’s kitchen. Originally from the Philadelphia area, his early forays into the working world found him bussing tables, washing dishes and eventually cooking. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in New York, Schneider brought his talent to top restaurants and resorts, most recently the Virginia Beach Hilton, which operates several upscale eateries including Catch 31 and Salacia.
As a chef, Schneider prefers uncomplicated dishes that begin with the basics and add an unexpected twist — no ostentatious presentations or convoluted techniques, he says, just great taste.
“I really like making food that people like,” he explains. “Food should be very simple — simple in preparation, simple in execution but complex in flavor.”
Cooking in a college atmosphere is different, Schneider says, in part because most students are enrolled in a meal plan. That means balancing high quality, variety and volume with affordability. It’s also different because, although college students are interested in healthier choices and new tastes, they’re loyal to the go-to goodies like pizza, burgers and fries. Thus the challenge is how to incorporate good nutrition and more sophisticated flavors with the comfort foods and favorites students love to eat.
The College’s core menu is designed by Sodexo, an international food service management company, but Schneider is able to tweak and customize menu choices incorporating his own expertise and creativity and adapting to the preferences of VWC students or even local seasonal ingredients.
Parents and other adults who tour the VWC campus often remark that college food isn’t it what it used to be, says Schneider. Gone are the days of bland casseroles and overcooked meats and veggies piled on trays.
“Everything in food service has changed,” Chef Schneider explains. “We are definitely much more mainstream and up with the trends.”
Students and parents expect quality and taste on par with our modern food-savvy culture. VWC hopes to exceed those expectations. Having an award-winning chef on staff certainly doesn’t hurt.
"We were lucky to get Chef David two and a half years ago,” says VWC’s general manager of Dining Services, Tim Lockett. “He embraced college foodservice right away and proceeded to help us take our program up several levels, bringing his fine dining and catering experience to campus.”
When Chef Schneider is not in the kitchen, you’re likely to find him spending time with his wife and 7-month-old son or cruising into campus on his 1981 Harley Davidson FLT.