Students Aim to Take the Cake in Upcoming Culinary Competition
November 24, 2019
The sixth annual culinary competition hosted by Fox Valley Technical College will be held on Dec. 6 with Neenah students intending to compete.
Culinary teacher Mrs. Debra Garbe confirmed that three teams from Neenah will be competing this year.
As reported last year by Fox 11 News, more than 20 teams from six different high schools around Wisconsin compete in the head to head competition. Teams of two must create two identical chicken-based dishes in one hour and are judged on a 100-point scale. Entrees are assessed based on menu design, cost analysis, taste, sanitation, plate presentation and fundamental cooking techniques. The top three teams will be awarded trophies, and remaining teams with the required points will receive medals. Last year, the first-place team, from Plymouth, was awarded a $500 scholarship to FVTC; hopefully, this will be seen again this year.
“The event was aimed at helping students learn more about the culinary arts while working together,” FOX 11 News wrote about the competition in 2015.
Sophomore Jennifer Danish will be competing this year with her partner Lorraine Sicairos. Practicing since September, the team has been working hard practicing every other week to create an award-winning meal. Inspired by her love for Chinese food, Danish and her partner settled on Sticky honey chicken with spicy Thai noodles.
“I just adore Chinese food. We were originally thinking of doing rice, but Mrs.Garbe suggested we do this,” Danish said reflecting back to the planning stages of preparation.
Danish has been in culinary club since she was a freshman, making her intent to be an active participant know since her first day. Smiling as a mother does to her child, Debra Garbe described Danish as: “A very motivated culinary student.”
Traditionally, competitions make one’s heart race like a herd of buffalo. Danish is no exception to the rule. She explained that the most nerve-racking part of a culinary competition is trying to maintain one’s cool while professional chefs peer over a young chef’s shoulders.
Aside from competitors, students interested in the culinary field or who are simply interested in the event are allowed to come along. A total of 10 non-competitors along with a few chaperones will be attending to cheer on teams and attend various presentations during the competition. As cited by FVTC, teams will gather together around 1:30 p.m. for the award ceremony to see what place they took in the competition.
“Hopefully they can take away a lot of little details about how to not only cook in a restaurant and some techniques that work there, but things that can work at home or for their future lives,” culinary arts instructor RC Schroeder said as reported by Fox 11 News.
Rules and Regulations
Comparable to a professional kitchen, teams must follow strict rules. Breaking these rules can result in points being deducted from the team’s final score. As outlined in the official FVTC rules and regulations, partners must demonstrate two cooking methods and at least two different knife cuts. Meals must have between 4-6oz of protein on the finished plates follow basic nutritional balance. No more than 30 percent of calories should come from fat, 50-60 percent of calories should come from carbohydrates, and 15-20 percent of calories should come from protein. Teams must provide four sets of recipes with food cost break down and a list of all ingredients. Upon arrival, judges will check if proper shipping and storing temperatures guidelines have been followed and if students have presented themselves in uniform appearance; white chef coats, black or checkered pants, aprons, hats and closed-toe shoes.
Update
Jeni Danish and Lorraine Sicairos took first place with their honey glazed chicken. Kaelyn Weinke and Casey Driscoll took 6th, and Ashenbrenner and Brooklyn Lewis took 8th.
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