Rockwall Culinary Arts students do ‘grate’ at state

Restaurant management team members each earn $50,500 in scholarships, head to nationals in May!

Culinary team members cook up excellent finish at state, each take home $23,500 scholarships

ROCKWALL, TEXAS (March 15, 2014) Two teams in the Rockwall Culinary Arts program recently competed in the Texas ProStart state finals – an honor achieved by first placing within the top six at regional competition.  Rockwall had both teams advance to the state level. One team competed in the culinary category and the other team in the restaurant management category. Both teams finished strong, and one is headed to nationals in May after finishing third in state!

“Our restaurant management team of Katheryn Besadesky, Adrian Dahl (RHHS), Mason Estrada, and Victoria VanVleck are back-to-back state champions!” said Cody Hayes, Culinary Arts Chef Instructor, Rockwall High School.

Teams participating in the restaurant management competition demonstrated their knowledge of the restaurant and food service industry by developing a restaurant proposal, delivering a verbal presentation and applying critical thinking skills to challenges managers face in day-to-day operations.

The Rockwall team, which included one student from our 2013 state winning team, presented a restaurant concept called The Grate American Grilled Cheese Factory, a quick-casual restaurant serving fresh, gourmet-quality grilled cheese sandwiches. Committed to purchasing ingredients from local sources, including fresh-baked bread from a local bakery, Texas-made cheeses and locally sourced meats, the restaurant will also offer two specialty cheeses hand-crafted in-house using milk from a local dairy – a signature creamy mozzarella and full-bodied, mild cheddar. Their slogan “Two GRATE Loves: Our Food & You!“ reflects their commitment to great food and great customer service.

The restaurant management state champion team received $50,500 PER STUDENT in scholarships to various universities and culinary arts schools. They will now move forward to represent our school and state at the national level in Minneapolis, MN on May 4th.

Andrew Ramirez, Zachary Grannis (RHHS), Kara Kinder, Marissa Bailey, and Annie Pellitier competed in the culinary category, and each earned $23,500 in scholarships to the most prestigious culinary schools and universities in the country. They had to create two  3–course plated meals within 60 minutes without the use of any electrical cooking equipment or ovens, and only had the use of two portable burners. They were also tested on knife skills, food safety and sanitation, organization and teamwork, and of course, food taste. Here is their menu:

First Course

Yellowfin Tuna Tartare
Avocado and Chive Oil paste
Pickled Mango and Red Onions
Balsamic Reduction
Pickled Mango and Red Onions
Arugula Greens
Fried Wanton Garnish

Second Course

Plantain Wrapped Red Snapper
Sautéed Asparagus
Saffron Coconut Rice
Red and Yellow Pepper Coulis
Virgin Salsa

Third Course

White Chocolate Bavarian Cream
Raspberry Gelée
Bruled Bananas
Fried Crisps
Mini Banana Fritters
Spun Sugar Garnish

“Representing the great state of Texas at the National ProStart Invitational is no easy feat, and we are all blessed to be a part of such a fantastic program that is supported by the Texas Restaurant Association and National Restaurant Association. Our back-to-back state champion titles are a true representation of dedication and hard-work by my students,” said Hayes. “They realize what a great opportunity they have to win scholarships through this wonderful program and are constantly motivated by that.  I am blessed to work with these future industry leaders everyday!”

Information provided by Cody Hayes, Culinary Art Chef Instructor, Rockwall High School.

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  chef, Cody hayes, culinary arts, nationals, restaurant management, Rockwall, state