THE WINNERS of the 4th annual Owosso High School (OHS) Culinary Competition, which took place on Monday, April 22, was the team of (from left) Anny Anjos, Megan Russel, Savannah McVay and Isaac Taylor. The team’s entrées were Asian noodles with a citrus peanut sauce, and stir fried vegetables and fried pork with an orange and honey glaze. The team can be seen wearing their 1st-place gold medals while standing in the OHS Culinary Arts café.
(Courtesy Photo)
Ten Owosso High School Culinary Arts students competed in the 4th annual Owosso High School (OHS) Culinary Competition on Monday, April 22 for the chance to win a number of impressive prizes. The competition, which is inspired by the “Top Chef” television show, featured Culinary Arts 1 and 2 students.
The contestants worked in groups of three or four students to create two entrées out of three “Mystery Basket” ingredients preselected by their instructor, Chef Hannah Poyner. After learning the three core ingredients they would be using, the students spent the next one hour and 30 minutes creating their entrées in the OHS Culinary Arts kitchen.
The competition was judged by Chef Garland Perhacs, the owner of Southern Dish in Novi; Dianne Rodgers, the owner of D’Mar Banquet & Conference Center in Owosso; and John Lowman and Linda Robertson, the owners of Wrought Iron Grill in Owosso. Up for grabs was a 1st-place prize that included a $500 scholarship to Mott Community College, gold medals and the opportunity to design an entrée that will be served at Wrought Iron Grill.
The OHS Culinary Arts program is in its fifth year of existence, under the guidance of Chef Poyner. The Culinary Arts kitchen has been transformed from an economics classroom into a full kitchen over the past five years, with the help of grants obtained with the assistance of the Shiawassee RESD. Every year, something is added to the space, and this year Chef Poyner and her students have remodeled the Culinary Arts café, with improved tables and chairs to create a more authentic restaurant experience. Students practice “back of the house” skills in the kitchen and hone their “front of the house” skills in the café.
This year’s 1st-place team consisted of exchange student Anny Anjos, Megan Russel, Savannah McVay and Isaac Taylor. In 2nd-place was the group of Tyler Zeitz, Kylie Lewis and Javan Barnhill, and in 3rd-place was the team of Virginia Nitz, Ashley Flatter and Gabby Morton.
