Associate director of culinary operations makes mark in nationwide cooking competition

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Western Michigan University Dining's associate director of culinary operations, Chef Andrew Francisco, secured a second place win in the Pacific Northwest Canned Pears Can-Do Challenge this summer. Francisco's submission, a Korean pear kimchi and grilled goat cheese sandwich, featured a homemade kimchi made with canned pears, thick-cut cherrywood bacon, goat and mozzarella cheese and Dijon mustard sandwiched between sourdough bread. 

The nationwide contest invites non-commercial food-service operation employees to create an original dish featuring U.S. canned Bartlett pears. Finalists are asked to submit their recipe for the Pacific Northwest Canned Pear chefs to recreate and rank. Francisco has been a finalist two years in a row; in 2023, he won third place with his recipe for Chilean Pumpkin and Pear Empanadas.

While the contest allows Chef Francisco to stretch his creative muscles in the kitchen, his participation has even bigger implications for the WMU Dining program. 

"One of my underlying motivators is getting WMU on the culinary map beyond the state of Michigan," says Francisco. "Cooking in national contests is one way I am able to have a creative outlet, without causing extra work for others, and showcasing what we are doing in the WMU kitchens."

"Chef Andrew's success in the Can-Do contest is a testament to his persistence, creativity and out-of-the-box thinking," says Emily Hazel Mitchell, associate director of communication and nutrition. "He isn't afraid of making mistakes, which means he is willing to experiment and fine-tune until he gets the desired result. This mentality is a major asset for Dining Services, especially as we move to offering more global cuisines in the dining centers that may be unfamiliar to most of our staff and many customers." 

Contests like the Can-Do challenge are an integral part of Francisco's exploration of cooking methods, ingredients and flavor combinations which can be used for future recipe development, particularly in Student Center Dining venues like Global Fusion and in the Demo Kitchen. 

Global Fusion, a venue featuring international cuisines, is an opportunity for Dining Services to broaden its culinary horizons. 

"Chef Andrew is experimenting with many ingredients that are not sourced through typical distribution channels, which allows WMU Dining to explore a variety of global cuisines to share with the campus community," says Hazel Mitchell. 

Global Fusion opened for regular lunch service (11 a.m. - 2 p.m.) on Tuesday, September 3, and will continue to serve weekday lunches. As Dining Services continues to build its staffing levels, Global Fusion will open for weekday dinner service (5 - 8 p.m.) as well. 

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