Do you know the common name of biotin? What about the precise size you have to dice a food for it to be considered a small dice?

Culinary students competing in the Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl National Competition on July 13 in Orlando, Fla., must study up on answers such as these (vitamin B7; 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch) for a shot at winning.

Kendra Peregrin, Katharine Allen, Mikki Butler, Jacquelyn Gundelfinger and Luke Glau took home a gold medal at the Western regional culinary knowledge bowl held in Seattle in April. Now the team is sharpening its mental knives for the competition at the American Culinary Federation National Convention at the Orlando World Marriott.

The students, who range in age from 19 to 27, are coached by Erica Murphy, food and beverage training manager at The Broadmoor.

The team, which comprises four apprentices at The Broadmoor and one employee in the Broadmoor’s kitchen, will square off against three other teams.

As coach, Murphy said she helps organize and structure practice sessions.

“Luke (Glau) is also very instrumental with that. He’s taken a lead role with the team,” Murphy said. “He’s the captain of the team.”

At the knowledge bowls, the team captain announces the members’ final answers.

The knowledge bowl competition, sponsored by Pearson Education, is open to junior culinary teams from American Culinary Federation member chapters, apprenticeship programs and accredited schools.

“What’s really interesting about these competitions is it’s not just knowledge bowl; the competition lasts for several days,” Murphy said.

“There are several cooking competitions. We just participate in the knowledge portion.”

Chefs, cooks and food-service professionals attend the annual ACF National Convention, which includes seminars, demonstrations, networking, competitions, meal events and more, according to the ACF. This year’s convention runs Saturday through July 13.

The knowledge bowl tournament uses “Jeopardy”-style matrix boards. A team can win a gold medal without winning the competition, and vice versa.

“The way that the team will be the first-place winner is based on, of course, them beating out all the other teams,” Murphy explained. “However, to earn a medal refers to the number of points they’ve earned. … So a team could technically have a gold medal but not win the competition.”

Murphy said there are point values of 10, 20, 30 or 40 points. To earn a gold medal, a team must earn 500 points; a silver, 400-499; a bronze, 300-399.

So which would team captain Glau rather win this time around: a gold medal or a competition win?

“I won a gold medal last year, and I won another gold medal this year in regionals, so I guess I’d go for the competition,” he said.

Aside from coveted ACF medals and the national title, Glau said the winning team members get trophies. “And more than anything, it looks good on a résumé.”

Murphy said all the questions for the knowledge bowl come from the same textbooks, and there are six categories based on those books: management and supervision; nutrition; “ServSafe” (a textbook about food safety); baking and pastry; culinary fundamentals; and Auguste Escoffier, the legendary French chef and culinary writer.

Glau said involvement in the tournament is rewarding for a couple of reasons.

“Pride, for one,” he said. “This may sound clichéd, but the knowledge really is the biggest reward for me, because I’ve learned so much through the competition,” Glau said. “The competition forces me to go deeper than anything ever has.”

For Murphy, the reward is in the bonds formed through mentoring the students.

“I’ve enjoyed getting to know them, and sharing my knowledge and passion and love for the culinary industry,” she said. “I’m absolutely amazed every time we practice at how much they know and how quickly they know it.”

For information on the ACF National Convention, visit www.acfchefs.org or call 1-800-624-9458.

The Broadmoor team is Katharine Allen, from left, Kendra Peregrin, Mikki Butler, Luke Glau and Jacquelyn Gundelfinger. Photo by ACF