USM Executive Chef Josh Cathey Earns Bronze Medal at National Culinary Excellence Competition

Thu, 07/27/2023 - 09:25am | By: Heather Dotchel

University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Executive Chef Josh Cathey took home a bronze medal in the Aramark Collegiate Hospitality Culinary Excellence Competition (ACE) on July 20 at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York. 

The competition brought together eight chefs from various Aramark Collegiate Hospitality campuses to create innovative menu items and compete for the national title.

The top three scoring chefs, Chef Matt Kuver from Carson-Newman University, Chef Franco Lossio from James Madison University and Chef Jessica Paulson from Boston University will compete in the final round of the international ACE Competition against chefs from Aramark’s various lines of business this fall.

Cathey is a Hattiesburg, Miss., native. He graduated from USM in 2011 with a BSBA in Tourism Management. While in school, he began his professional career in catering at the Lake Terrace Convention Center in 2010. Cathey joined Aramark Collegiate Hospitality in 2016 as a Catering Chef with Eagle Dining at USM. In 2021, Cathey was promoted to Campus Executive Chef. His passion and ingenuity are essential to Eagle Dining’s success.

Cathey assisted with creating Aramark’s Culinary YOUniversity©, has been a preceptor for the nutrition program on the graduate level, and held cooking demos for students and groups in the community. Chef Cathey was a featured chef on Aramark Young Professionals.

He was selected to be one of this year's Aramark 40 Under 40 awardees. He is also on the culinary board for Hattiesburg High School, focusing on giving back to the next generation of culinarians.

“I love bringing new flavors to our students, and ACE gives us the opportunity to put our creativity to the test,” said Cathey.

"The ACE competition showcases the remarkable culinary talents and achievements of our university chefs. By participating in the competition, these chefs demonstrate their passion and commitment to creating top-tier culinary experiences, representing the pinnacle of excellence in the field," said Alisdair Maclean, Regional Vice President, Aramark Collegiate Hospitality - South Region. "It is a celebration of their dedication and hard work and a testament to the possibilities of culinary excellence."

ACE is a culinary competition utilizing American Culinary Federation (ACF) standards and guidelines. ACE is about cultivating and highlighting the culinary talent within our company and challenging chefs to think outside the box and expand their comfort zones to create new and exciting dishes for our guests.

“We are delighted to celebrate the achievements of Josh, our remarkable executive chef, who also happens to be an alumnus of Southern Miss,” said Allyson Easterwood, Vice President for Finance & Administration at USM. “He represented us well in this national competition and reminded us all of the exceptional talent that flourishes within our institution and community.”