How to sum up alumnus Timothy Koch's career in one word? Competitive. Since graduation, Koch has been involved with an impressive array of national and international pastry competitions: He's been a member of the Southern Pastry Classic (his team took third place), Beaver Creek 2000 World Pastry Forum (featured in a two-part Food Network special), and the US Pastry Competition 2001 held at the Javits Center (his first solo competition).

Koch started this outstanding competitive record during his six years working at the Hilton Short Hills in New Jersey under Jody Klocko. He began by assisting and eventually became a team member in his own right. "It's like nothing else," says Koch of the experience. "You work preparing one project for months, sometimes you don't sleep for days, and it's all for just a couple of hours of competition. But it energizes your whole outlook, keeps you thinking, and opens you up to what's going on in the industry.

At the same time, Koch also moved up the ranks at the Hilton, eventually becoming Executive Pastry Chef. This past August he took over the top pastry spot at the Bernards Inn in Bernardsville, New Jersey. The inn is one of the area's most romantic small hotels and is home to one of the state's top-rated dining rooms. He's currently taking time off from competing to settle into his new job, but, looking ahead, he admits that being a member of the U.S. Pastry Team for the biannual Coupe de Monde would be a career highlight.

December, 2002