Martin County High School’s Junior Chef Team - Cloudy With A Chance Of Pasta - took second place in the statewide competition on Friday, March 21. They were one of five teams from across North Carolina to make the final round.
Chefs Jasmine Roberson, Miley Harrington, and Ryan Windley, all seniors at Martin County High School, accepted the challenge of creating a recipe suitable for school lunch. This process began with the trio in Joyner’s Culinary Arts I class.
According to April Joyner, a Family and Consumer Science instructor at Martin County High School, the recipe must include two products grown in North Carolina. It must also meet sodium and calorie guidelines for National School Lunch Program nutrition standards. On top of everything else, the meal should be created with student tastes in mind.
The “Cloudy with a Chance of Pasta” team from Martin County High won second place and a silver medal for their delicious, comfort food Chicken Parmesan Pasta recipe accompanied by a fresh salad with homemade apple cider vinaigrette.
“I've had the privilege of working with these students at different points in their high school career, I've seen them grow up before my eyes,” explained Joyner. “Their dedication to the N.C. Jr. Chef competition was inspirational; not once did they complain. I look forward to watching these seniors graduate, and I know their future is bright. I'm honored to be their teacher.”
Miley Harrington, a senior at Martin County High School, was excited about the outcome of this competition.
“As a senior, I am absolutely thrilled with our placing in this competition. I have been taking culinary classes since I was a freshman and have always enjoyed cooking and learning about the nutritional factors behind each recipe,” she said. “This competition has taught me about all the hard work that goes into meal preparation for our schools and how it is not just a simple task. I encourage everyone to take culinary or foods and nutrition because it is a very beneficial class to have to help prepare you for the future.”
Teammate Ryan Windley shared Harrington’s enthusiasm. “I'm proud I was given the opportunity to compete, and I'm very proud of my teammates and our instructors for getting so far. We may not have gotten first place, but making it to the finalists, along with the other schools' fantastic meals, is more than enough. I loved being included in this competition and can't wait to see other students from our school hopefully win first place in the coming years.”
Jasmine Roberson, the third chef on the team, came in later in the process but that did not stop her from learning.
“I’ve really enjoyed making dishes with my fellow teammates, Miley & Ryan. I joined at the last minute, so I wasn’t able to help plan the meals. Although I did love putting everything we’ve learned in Ms. Joyner's Class in action. Being in second place was a great feeling, especially since we were representing Martin County Schools. I was nervous about everything, knowing I wasn’t there in the beginning. But it came out great! I loved working with Ms.Joyner & am grateful for the opportunity!”
All the teams showcased their knowledge and skills in the culinary competition. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mo Green offered his congratulations to all the teams.
“Congratulations to each of the NC Jr. Chef teams,” Green said. “The NC Jr. Chef Competition is a wonderful collaboration among school and community partners to offer students an opportunity to explore future career options and apply lessons learned in the classroom to a real-world application in creating recipes for appealing, nutritious school meals.”
The high school students were challenged to work with their teachers and school nutrition administrators to develop a creative recipe for a school lunch entrée that met a list of requirements: compliant with school nutrition program standards, including at least two North Carolina-grown products and one USDA Foods item, replicable by school nutrition programs and appealing to students. For the competition, all finalist teams submitted an application to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) with their recipe, recipe photo, nutrient and cost analysis, a work plan for preparing the entree within 90 minutes and a video of their team preparing and plating their creation. The Jr. Chefs also participated in a virtual interview to present their entree to a panel of evaluators. Teams were evaluated on their recipe development, use of locally grown ingredients, culinary and food safety skills, organization, teamwork, knowledge of nutrition and farm-to-school, and public presentation.
“In working with their local school nutrition programs, students learn about and appreciate all that goes on behind the scenes to create recipes for school meals that not only meet required nutrition guidelines, but also appeal to students,” NCDPI’s Senior Director for School Nutrition said Rachel Findley. “In addition, they learn about farm to school and how schools and farms can work together to provide agriculture and nutrition education and incorporate locally grown foods in school meals.”
NC Jr. Chef finalist teams were recognized through a virtual awards ceremony. The students received their own NC Jr. Chef coats and hats. They also receive certificates and medals based on team scores. First, second, and third-place teams receive plaques to display in their schools, and the first-place team has the honor of hosting the competition trophy until the next cook-off.
Sullivan University in Kentucky will offer scholarships to the members of the top three teams.