Five outstanding high school culinary arts students competed at the Sunshine Kitchen Cookoff in Fort Pierce. Each high school student was paired with an Indian River State Culinary Institute student to form a team for the event. Each team made Mac N Cheese and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches adding their own spices, flavors, accompaniments, and flair to the recipes. Big thanks to our judges Chef Leslie Moyers, Indian River Estates Assisted Living Facility, Chef Jacques Larson, Crane Club at Tesoro Port St. Lucie, Pam McNair, Chef, Food Service Coordinator, Serve Safe Instructor & Proctor Examiner, Chef Mike Febre, True Roots Catering, Chef Cheryl Levy-Foote, Truly Delicious Foods, timekeepers Keron Belgraves and Paul Lankow.
Congratulations to the winning team from Fort Pierce Westwood Academy, Nimsi Moreno and Christina Theriault, from Indian River State College Culinary Institute who each won a $1,500 scholarship.
Big thanks to Gina McCants, St. Lucie County Tcerda Research Park, Mike Adams at Adams Ranch, Chef Deb Midkiff, IRSC Culinary Institute, Chef Jeanne Gray, Fort Pierce Westwood Academy, Chef Cindy Swertfager, Fort Pierce Central High, Chef Jesse Strell, Fort Pierce Central High, Chef Kristen Fink, Treasure Coast High, Chef Chris Gedke-Balaschak, St Lucie West Centennial High, Chef Kevin Sassano, Port St Lucie High, and Chef Tiffany Tredor, Northport K8 who made the event possible!
Congratulations to all the culinary competitors Team 1 Janiyah Henry from St. Lucie West Centennial High and Jorge Cabrera-Valdes from Indian River State College Culinary Institute, Team 2 Victori Brown from Port St. Lucie High School and Jonathan Satey from Indian River State College Culinary Institute, Team 3 Megan Negron from Fort Pierce Central High School and Alexis Garces-Kaline from Indian River State College Culinary Institute, Team 4 Madison Adams from Treasure Coast High School and Jade Febus from Indian River State College Culinary Institute, Team 5 Nimsi Moreno from Fort Pierce Westwood Academy and Christina Theriault from Indian River State College Culinary Institute.
Thank you to the young chefs a.k.a. culinary students at Northport K8 who served delicious refreshments to the crowd at the Sunshine Kitchen as well as Jeremy “Jay” Blood and Marie-Claire Medard for recording the event.
This event is a great collaboration between St. Lucie County, Indian River State College Culinary Institute, St. Lucie School Board Culinary Teachers and Career and Technical Education, and the Sunshine Kitchen. It’s a stellar example of Classrooms2Careers and what can be accomplished for our students when we work together.
