Area 30 culinary arts group cooks up state championship

Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Hoisting the championship trophy from the recent 2014 Indiana ProStart Invitational and FCCLA State Leadership Conference are members of the Area 30 Career Center Culinary Arts Team B consisting of (from left) Brooke Smith, Michelle Bright, Madison Harris, Hayley Simpson and Alyssa Bolin.

While certainly not surprising to anyone who has ever eaten lunch at the Ivy Gallery, Area 30 Career Center culinary arts students chewed up the competition at recent state competition.

Culinary students from Area 30 brought home state honors and will represent Indiana at the upcoming National ProStart Invitational and the FCCLA National Leadership Conference

"I didn't realize we were the best of 31 teams," Area 30 culinary arts instructor Mary Anne Birt said. "It is so highly busy that I had no idea there were that many teams."

During culinary competition, students are tasked with following guidelines from the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. Students are judged on safety and sanitation skills, knife skills, chicken fabrication, creation and preparation of three dishes, along with menu costing, presentation and display.

Area 30 Team B -- represented by team members Brooke Smith, Michelle Bright, Madison Harris, Hayley Simpson and Alyssa Bolin -- was awarded Special Knife Skills recognition and captured first place in ProStart/FCCLA Culinary Competition.

They will represent Indiana at the National ProStart Invitational and the FCCLA National Leadership Conference in Minneapolis.

Birt said her PM class of culinary students made pirogue dumplings filled with mashed potatoes with capers and garlic sauce, pork/prosciutto pinwheels with a mustard sauce accompanied by quinoa with greyer cheese and sautéed asparagus.

For dessert, the Area 30 team created a feast for the eyes and the taste buds with a chocolate coffee raspberry mousse in a persimmon-laced cookie and caramel sauce.

The Area 30 AM class of culinary students also competed at the state event, earning a silver medal by preparing a composed crab salad, duck with blackberry sauce, with sweet potato cakes and sautéed green beans with walnut and parmesan cheese. Dessert was a wonton-filled chocolate pastry with raspberry sauce.

The students representing the AM team were Ashley Bastin, Cassidy Frost, Ron Palmer, Drew Dunn and Henry Cloncs.

Students in the ProStart Management competition complete a business plan for a restaurant concept and are judged on their portfolio, visual display and concept, verbal presentation and ability to answer critical thinking questions.

Lindsey True received a silver medal on her career investigation and paper on researching an adoption agent.

Calvin Hughes earned a gold on his career investigation and his paper on a marketing manager.

The Management Team, which included Area 30 students Sandy Huber, Justice Honey, Angie Norman and Penny Rich, displayed its creation of a restaurant called The Groove.

Overall, more than 800 Indiana ProStart and Family, Career and Community Leaders of America members, advisers, alumni and guests from around Indiana gathered in Indianapolis March 6-8 for the 2014 Indiana ProStart Invitational and FCCLA State Leadership Conference.

Competing were 150 students on 31 teams from 16 schools in the Indiana ProStart/FCCLA Culinary and Management competitions.

The Area 30 culinary class, Birt added, "would like to thank Kroger, Starbucks, Almost Home, Indiana Pork, Performance Foods and Maple Leaf Duck for their support and assistance."

Students earning first place in the Culinary Competition will represent Indiana at two different national events: National ProStart Invitational in Minneapolis, and the FCCLA National Leadership Conference.

A financial sponsorship effort is under way to assist the five young ladies on the state championship team in getting to Minneapolis for national competition.

Anyone who would like to contribute to that effort may contact Birt at 653-3515 or via email at mbirt@area30.k12.in.us.

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