Elevating the edible experience

Local high school students participate in annual SW/WC Service Cooperative’s Culinary Skills Challenge

Culinary skills challenge featureLocal students put their culinary skills to both the taste and display tests during the 2017 Culinary Skills Challenge, a student competition of the Southwest/West Central (SW/WC) Service Cooperative, held Thursday, March 30, at Southwest Minnesota State University-Marshall (SMSU). Their participation in the annual contest was led by Mountain Lake Public High School’s (MLHS) World Foods teacher Lindsey Brockberg and Food Science instructor Stephen Funk, both of the school’s ag education department.

The Culinary Skills Challenge features high school students showcasing their artistic and scientific creations through hands-on competitions and seminars. First-, second- and third-place awards are presented in the seven categories. Competitors in the Culinary Competition vie for SMSU Scholarships of $2,000, $1,000, and $500.

The title sponsor for the challenge is The Schwan Food Company.

The senior duo of Yahayra Sanchez and Chandra Pfeiffer placed second in the category of Menu Design.

All of the areas of competition include:

+ Baking Science.

+ Cake Decorating – Icing and Cupcakes.

+ Cooking.

+ Food Art/Sculpting.

+ Knife Skills.

+ Menu Design.

+ Place Setting/Napkin Folding.

In addition to the various competitions, students were able to take part in a large number of interactive sessions. These included:

+ Tour of SMSU and the Culinology Program: Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) Culinology Students – Students toured the Culinology and Hospitality Department and then blended food and science to make ice cream using liquid nitrogen.

+ Barbeque Pitmaster Basics:  Bill Mulso, Professional Barbeque Competitor – Bill, who is also Vice-President for Advancement and Foundation Executive Director of Founders Hall at SMSU, is a professional BBQ competitor. Sons of Butchers Barbeque is a Grand Champion team that competes in Kansas City BBQ Society-sanctioned competitions across the Midwest, is a hree-time Mustang Territory Champion at SMSU Smokefest and placed fifth in the world at the 2014 American Royal Open in Kansas City Missouri. Students learned the differences between grilling and BBQ and the variety of equipment needed. They also learned about some of the basic cuts of meat commonly used in BBQ and how to make your own BBQ rub from some common ingredients found in your kitchen cupboard.

+ You Say Bruschetta, I Say Crostini: Chef Lance White, Chef to Plate – Chef Lance is currently a personal chef in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Chef Lance has been cooking for 21 years and has seen and heard lots of arguments about what’s what. Students joined Chef Lance for a hands-on demonstration that allows one to create your own crostini/bruschetta.

+ Truffles, Truffles, Truffles: Steven Stellingwerf – Steven, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has been cake decorating for over 40 years. He’s a member of the Wilton Hall of Fame and was named one of the top 10 cake decorators in America for 2012 by Dessert Professional Magazine. Students learned how to make truffles.

+ Creating Your Own Recipes: Carole Jones, My Kitchen Escapades – For the past nine years, Carole has been a food blogger, recipe creator and photographer at MyKitchenEscapades.com. In 2013, she developed a food-based leadership development program and now travels around the country facilitating this innovative and off-beat program that utilizes food and cooking to cultivate employee engagement. Did you know that creating a killer new recipe can be as easy as changing one ingredient or cooking it in a new way? Students attending this interactive session were ready to play with their food and be a bit brave, taking a simple turkey and cheese sandwich to a whole new level.

+ Hand Modeled Fondant Figures: Amanda Leach, Taylor’d Cakes – Amanda is the manager and cake decorator at Taylor’d Cakes of Lake Wilson. Those attending the session crafted a character out of fondant and Rice Krispy treats.

+ Fantastic Foods and Where to Find Them: Ben Swanson, AURI – Ben is a food scientist with Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) in Marshall. Ever look at a label and wonder what it all means? Ever wonder how food companies take simple ingredients and create your favorite foods? Students attending the session learned how a food scientist works their magic to create amazing foods.

+ Cream Cheese Balls: Chef David Holland and Pratik, Bello Cucina – David and Pratik demonstrated how one simple recipe turns into a completely different dish. Students were able to make and sample Pratik’s cream cheese balls. Bello Cucina is an Italian restaurant in Spicer.

+ Food Allergies: Marie Nelson, Reinhart Food Service – Marie is a registered and licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist for Reinhart Food Service in Marshall. The incidence of food allergies increased by 50% from 1997-2011 and continues to rise. Understanding food allergies, knowing their consequences and how to prevent circumstances that could cause an allergic reaction are important things to have everyone aware of on the foodservice team. Students learned about food allergies and then got to test their knowledge interactively through case studies of real life food service scenarios.

+ Field to Fork: Brandon Supernault – Brandon is the Hospitality Management Instructor at Normandale Community College in BloomingtonThe session considered numerous career opportunities from the food production (field) to consumption (fork). The presenter stressed the employment opportunities in the hospitality and tourism industries.

Following are two photos of the MLHS participants who placed in the challenge, along with other participating MLHS students. All of the photos are courtesy of Gail Polejewski from the SW/WC Service Cooperative:

 

THE MENU DESIGN that earned MLHS seniors Chandra Pfeiffer and Yahayra Sanchez a second-place in competition in the category.

 

AT LEFT IS one-half of the MLHS duo that captured second-place in Menu Design at the 2017 SW/WC Culinary Skills Challenge, Yahayra Sanchez. (Not pictured is her teammate Chandra Pfeiffer.) At right, are the third-place pair from Worthington, left and the first-placde twosome from Russell/Tyler/Ruthton, right.

 

MLHS STUDENTS MEREL Caminada, left, and Samantha Stahl, right, at work on their creative and delicate icing artwork in the Cake Decorating category.

 

SAMANTHA STAHL’S FINISHED product.

 

ICED-UP CAKE by Merel Carminada.

 

SPORTS-THEME DECORATED cupcakes by Meredith Suess.

 

A SPRINGTIME LOOK with Kenna Gardiner’s decorated cupcakes.
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