Villanova University’s Chef Jimmy Harris Takes Bronze in National Association of College & University Food Services 2026 Culinary Challenge

VILLANOVA, Pa. (April 9, 2026)-On March 10, 2026, Chef Jimmy Harris, chef manager at Villanova University, left the familiar kitchen of Dougherty dining hall and stepped into a different cooking landscape-the National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) 2026 Culinary Challenge. One recipe and a frenzied hour later, he walked away from the competition with a bronze medal and newfound culinary skills to share with his fellow Villanova chefs.

Launched in 2001 and adjudicated by the American Culinary Federation (ACF), the NACUFS Culinary Challenge is an annual competition that recognizes exceptional culinary expertise in collegiate foodservice. Chefs from universities across the country are tasked with creating an original, nutritionally-balanced dish featuring a designated protein and a surprise ingredient chosen by NACUFS, and preparing it live for a panel of judges. The dishes are judged on organization, technique and taste, using a 100-point scale.

For this year's Challenge in Washington, D.C., the mandatory ingredients chosen were a nod to the upcoming 2026 NACUFS National Conference location in New Orleans. Each participant received two 3-5-pound skin on, gutted, whole catfish and fresh okra. Competitors were required to create an original recipe using two different cooking methods for the catfish and prepare four servings of that recipe for the judges.

As Chef Harris started developing his recipe, he hoped to create something drastically different from the variants of the traditional fried catfish and okra that he expected some competitors to choose. After circulating through numerous ideas and even drawing inspiration from Villanova's own dining hall offerings, he kept returning to dishes with Latin influence. Finally, he settled on his recipe for submission: catfish birria tacos with an okra pineapple salsa, complete with catfish dirty rice. To satisfy the NACUFS requirement of having two different cooking methods for the protein, Chef Harris used poached catfish in the tacos and steamed catfish for the dirty rice side.

After his recipe was approved by NACUFS, Chef Harris practiced cooking the meal at least once a week alongside mentor Chef Chris Wiseley, who earned his own bronze medal at the NACUFS Competition in 2025. Chef Harris accompanied Chef Wiseley to the Challenge last year and observed both the competition and the judging portion.

"Competing this year was definitely less nerve-wracking since I went last year and knew what to expect," said Chef Harris. "I was able to sit in on the critique when Chris competed and hear what the judges were looking for. I got a lot of free insight that most people don't have prior to competing."