Three GHS students participated in the ProStart competition last month in which they had to plan and cook a meal.
Foods teacher Elizabeth Seivert explains what the students had to do in the competition.
“Students had to complete a packet including a menu ( including knife cuts and cooking techniques), recipes, costing out recipes, and inventory lists of items. For the cooking competition, they did a shrimp and vegetable spring roll, Pineapple Beef Adobo with coconut rice and bok choy, and an Ube creme brulee for dessert,” she said.
One of the main challenges the students faced was time management.
“The students were on their own, starting with check-in, setting up, mise en Place ( setting up the station), 1 hour to cook, and cleanup. The kids were on their own from 8:30 to about 1:00,” Seivert said.
Junior Gavin Cook enjoyed it, but agreed that it was stressful.
“The most stressful thing was the time element, because we only had one hour to complete three separate dishes,” he said.
Although the students did not place, Seivert was proud of them
“I felt the students did awesome and did their best in the competition. We did not get our score yet, but based on feedback, getting everything cooked, portioned, and presented to the plate at the last second went well. We could improve on organization and sanitation,” she said.
Cook was also pleased with their performance.
“I think we did pretty well considering it was all our first time doing it,” he said.
Junior Andrew Jang and sophomore Mikayla Moraza were a part of the ProStart competition as well, and Moraza made the BokChoy and Coconut rice.
“I enjoy cooking because it helps me relax, and I get to enjoy the food afterward. Plating the coconut rice at the end, I think the best thing we made was the BokChoy. Although we did have a few simple mistakes that we need to improve on for next time, I think our team did really well,” she said.
Sievert thinks it was a good experience for the students.
“This was a good learning experience for the students and me because they got to be involved with other schools that have been doing this for years, and they came in with smiles and positive attitudes. We learned how to be prepared in the future, manage our time, and be more organized and clean,” she said.
