Area 30 Culinary Arts students cook up gold-medal efforts at state event

The Area 30 Career Center Culinary Arts duo of Raymond Heagy and Wayne Burk captured first place in the recent state competition with their presentation about restaurant managers.

The Area 30 Career Center's Culinary Arts class fared well in the recent state FCCLA/ProStart Culinary Competition.

During the March 3 competition, the culinary team had to prepare a three-course gourmet meal within an hour with only two butane stove tops and coolers for refrigeration.

The team of Jess Billings, Micah Query, Anthony Hyde, Jacob Hutson and Cody Storkman received a gold medal for their Belgium endive goat cheese, honeyed walnuts with bacon appetizer with an orange balsamic reduction, lemon mustard chicken with capers, horseradish mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli with julienne of carrots, and a peanut butter chocolate molten cake for dessert.

The team of Jess Billings, Micah Query, Anthony Hyde, Jacob Hutson and Cody Storkman and the team of Allison Guthrie, Dori Robertson, Lacey Crawford, Heather Berens and Erica Wheeler received gold-medal placings at the recent state FCCLA/ProStart Culinary Competition

The team of Allison Guthrie, Dori Robertson, Lacey Crawford, Heather Berens and Erica Wheeler received a gold-medal placing as first alternate and captured third out of 19 teams for the ProStart Competition. Their menu was sautéed black beans, sweet potato cakes with a sour cream, lime jalapeño sauce, bacon-wrapped pork medallions served over creamy parmesan polenta topped with a salsa and apricot jam sauce served with maple syrup brussels sprouts.

For their Culinary Display students had to pick a career in the hospitality/culinary cluster of careers, do a five-minute presentation and take questions afterward. The students had to know information such as the job requirements, work conditions, education, salary and outlook for their chosen career and present it in a professional manner.

The team of Raymond Heagy and Wayne Burk received first place in the state competition presenting about restaurant managers and the team of Anthony Lewis and Joey Gentry took third for a presentation about personal chefs.

The students began preparing for this competition in October having mock competitions and presentations. Mrs. Birt and Mrs. Downing expressed their thanks to everyone who helped support and encourage the students as well as the Greencastle Kroger store for donating food gift cards to help with cost of food for the numerous rehearsals.