ST. LUCIE COUNTY – On Saturday March 2, 2019, four Fort Pierce Central High School students, Sarahi Fraga, McClintock Hoeffner, Luz Martinez, and Hope Thomas, won third place in the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association’s 19th Annual Management Competition, sponsored by the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality & Tourism.
In this statewide competition, participating teams demonstrate their knowledge of the restaurant and foodservice industry by developing a new restaurant concept and presenting it to a panel of judges at a simulated business exposition. The teams also submitted a written proposal for review, and presented their concepts of marketing, menu and costing, layout and décor, and critical thinking to various groups of judges through posters, verbal presentations, and question-and-answer sessions.
In addition to taking home third place overall in the state of Florida, Luz Martinez was awarded the Hospitality Excellence Award, and received a $2,000 scholarship to the post-secondary institution of her choice. McClintock Hoeffner won a $5,000 scholarship to Keiser University for placing second in Chef Erik Youngs Voodoo Chef High School Recipe Challenge. McClintock had to create an original recipe incorporating Chef Youngs signature DIRT spice into a meal consisting of a protein, vegetable, and starch. His dish was a coffee and DIRT spice infused ribeye steak with a mushroom sauce, steamed broccoli finished with seasoned butter, and pan fried thinly sliced red new potatoes dusted with DIRT spice.
Their instructors Chef Jesse Strell and Cindy Swertfager, the school, and their families are more than proud of all of these outstanding students. All their hard work and dedication has definitely paid off. We are excited to see what the future holds for our talented Cobras!
About St. Lucie Public Schools
St. Lucie Public Schools (SLPS) proudly serves students with a graduation rate of 91.8 percent. As a B rated District, there are no failing schools, and SLPS ranks among the top one-third of Florida’s districts for student achievement. The District also has the distinction of being recognized as one of St. Lucie County’s Best Places to Work. The mission of SLPS is to ensure all students graduate from safe and caring schools equipped with the knowledge, skills and desire to succeed. Connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, or visit http://www.stlucieschools.org.
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