Student teams from Caesar Rodney and Seaford high schools took top honors at a recent culinary arts competition held at the Chase Center at the Wilmington Riverfront.
More than 100 students from 10 schools across Delaware took part in the Ninth Annual Delaware ProStart Student Invitational.
The statewide competition hosted by the Delaware Restaurant Association Educational Foundation honors the best culinary and restaurant management teams.
It was the third win in a row for students from Caesar Rodney High School in the culinary competition.
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The team, led by educators Riki Senn and Valerie Rutherford, included students Grace Gonzalez, Morgan Fitzhugh, Carys Raber, Sierra Maull and Caitlin Hernandez as well as alternates Leah Kirsch and Melia Stamper.
Tom Hannum, executive chef and an owner of Buckley’s Tavern in Centreville and Goober’s Diner in Wilmington, served as the team’s mentor.
The Caesar Rodney students, like all the student culinary arts competitors, had one hour to prepare a three-course meal on two butane burners.
Their dishes were judged by local chefs and restaurant owners on taste, teamwork, safety, sanitation, and other skills.
The Caesar Rodney team’s menu included frisée salad with egg yolk raviolo, Mediterranean lamb loin, and a chocolate dome with balsamic raspberries.
The students used a blowtorch to warm the plates before dishing up the food. They then put the dishes in insulated bags, similar to those used by pizza delivery drivers, to keep the food warm.
Students from Seaford High School were awarded first place honors in the management competition. The school, also a repeat winner, took top management honors in 2020.
Students included Kameron Gum, Tatyana Fletcher and Sarah Valasquez-Perez. Seaford High School’s educator was Christine Longo, and its mentor was Lt. Commander Lott.
The team had to develop a business proposal for an original restaurant concept and present it to a panel of industry and post-secondary school judges.
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In the culinary competition, a team from William Penn High School came in second place and Laurel High School students placed third.
In the management competition, students from Odessa High School came in second place and a team from William Penn High School placed third.
The two top Delaware teams will advance to the National ProStart Student Invitational this May in Washington, D.C. The National Invitational was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico
