A team of culinary students from Maxwell High School of Technology in Gwinnett County are eligible to compete in a regional chef competition. The team earned first place recently in the second annual Shake It Up Farm-to-School Student Chef Competition. The competition featured teams from schools around the state.
Each team was required to develop a nutritious, student-friendly recipe that included Georgia-grown foods and USDA foods and that could easily be incorporated into the school food service program. The competition consisted of a recipe contest and a cooking competition.
A panel of judges rated students’ creations on taste, student appeal, presentation, and creativity.
Amanda Williams, Maxwell’s culinary arts instructor, takes pride in the team’s success. She said, “This win is a reflection of hard work, perseverance, and passion. Angélica Burgos, De’Avion Frezell, and Preston Gouge’s devotion to culinary arts is evident in their enthusiasm. Most days they come to class early to learn as much as they can. Even in the mist of challenges, they manage to push through with sense of determination.”
The team’s Bowl’d Farm Fresh Burrito Bowl took the top spot in the competition and earned each student a $16,000 scholarship to attend Sullivan University in Kentucky. All the competing recipes will be featured in the Student Chef Cookbook and promoted for use in school nutrition programs throughout the state.
Burgos, Frezell, and Gouge will now move on to the Southeast Regional Junior Chef Competition, to be held May 9 and 10, at Sullivan University in Louisville, Kentucky.
Williams has confidence in her students. “I believe they are anxious about the regional competition,” Williams said. “They want to do well enough to place in the top 3 and win scholarship money so they are mentally preparing and strategizing ways to improve for another win.”
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