Local high school students participate in annual SW/WC Service Cooperative’s Culinary Skills Challenge
A group of local students put their culinary skills to the taste and display test test during the 2015 Culinary Skills Challenge, a student competition of the Southwest/West Central (SW/WC) Service Cooperative, held Tuesday, March 31, 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 Stephen Funk and Food Science instructor Lindsey Brown, both of the school’s ag education department.
A duo competing in Menu Design – seniors at MLHS Brianna Jensen and Jenny Wright – finished first in that challenge category.
Danica Dick, a sophomore at Mountain Lake Christian (MLC), was second in Place Setting and Napkin Folding.
Additional categories of competition included Culinary (Cooking), Cake Decorating (three categories), Baking Science, Pasta and Knife Skills.
The Carl Perkins/Culinary Skills Challenge features high school students showcasing their artistic and scientific creations through hands-on competitions and seminars. Competitors in the Culinary Competition vie for SMSU Scholarships of $2,000, $1,000, and $500.
Students also had the opportunity to tour SMSU and its Culinology program and to select from nine interactive seminars. These included:
* Barbeque Pitmaster Basics by Bill Mulso, a professional barbeque competitor.
* Gingerbread Houses by Steven Stellingwerf.
* Simple Yet Elegant Appetizers by Chef Lance White, owner of Chef Lance Catering.
* Sous vide versus Confit Cooking by Chef Tim McCarty, executive chef and Sodexho and the Minnesota Pork Board.
* Physiology of Taste and Flavor by Chef Matt Horn, corporate executive chef for The Schwan Food Company.
* Homemade Pasta by Chef Jason Mueller, owner of Bello Cucina.
* Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream by Chef Ben Zirbel, corporate sous chef for The Schwan Food Company.
* Fun with Fondant by Manjit Harrison.
*Three Ways to Make Fondant Roses by Angie Ford, owner of Taylor’d Cakes.
The title sponsor for the challenge is The Schwan Food Company, along with 2015 partners Maxwell Food Equipment, the Minnesota Pork Board and SMSU.
Following is a photo gallery of those placing in the challenge, along with other participating MLHS students. All of the photos are courtesy of the SW/WC Service Cooperative.
