Three sophomores at McDonald County High School have qualified for a national competition and received several thousand dollars in scholarship offers.
John Gordon, Brier Phillips and Laynee Tinsley are students of Marie Strader. They entered a Students Taking Action With Recognition event through Family Career Community Leaders of America, Strader said.
"There were lots of events available, but they did the culinary art competition," she explained.
In December, Strader said, FCCLA's national headquarters posted three menus, and Missouri chose Menu 1. It consisted of an herbed apple-glazed chicken, mashed potatoes and butternut squash with brown butter and a spinach arugula salad with balsamic vinaigrette.
"We practiced that for about three weeks and then went to regionals and won that in January. Then we went to state March 20," Strader said. Regionals was in Nevada, and state was in Lake of the Ozarks. At state they competed against 13 other schools and were the only sophomores in the entire competition, she said.
They received $84,000 worth of scholarship offers from three different culinary schools, Strader said.
Now the group will go to nationals at Nashville, Tenn., July 1-6. They won't know which of the three menus they will be cooking, so they will have to practice all three.
Gordon said he does not plan to pursue a profession in the culinary arts. He plans to become a registered nurse and eventually work his way up to anesthesiologist. However, he now works at Burger Time in Pineville and is able to apply what he learns in his culinary class there and also plans to work his way through college by working in the culinary field.
"I think we'll do well," he said of the event. "I think we have a very good chance we'll win."
Phillips said he plans to go into a career in the culinary field -- event management, planning weddings and parties and catering.
"I'm excited," he said of the competition.
Tinsley said she gave some thought to going into the culinary field, but she has always wanted to be a pediatric surgeon, so that is what she plans to pursue.
"I'm excited," she said about the competition. "I was really surprised we made it since we went against so many seniors that have done it for so long. I think we have a good chance of winning nationals. I'm confident we will."
"I'm very proud of them," Strader said. "They worked very hard. Had a lot of after-school practices. And we have a lot of work ahead of us, too. Each menu has specific knife cuts that have to be perfected and a different meat. A lot of work and a lot of good food."
General News on 05/18/2017