As part of our work with Ivy Tech Community College, Culinary Crossroads was honored to help host a reception on April 14 for high school culinary students participating in the state finals of the Skills USA competition.
Ivy Tech president Sue Ellspermann attended the reception, held at Courses, the culinary center’s penthouse restaurant. She spoke to more than 80 students, parents and faculty advisors, encouraging competitors to become leaders in the industry.
“You will be the great chefs,“ Ellspermann said, “ the great hospitality professionals of the future.”
The competitions in baking, culinary arts and restaurant service took place at Ivy Tech’s culinary center in Indianapolis, where students from around Indiana worked in the state-of-the-art kitchens and wowed judges with their professionalism and culinary chops. During the competitions, students baked breads, created chicken dishes and were judged not only on how their dishes looked and tasted, but also on such aspects as knife skills and sanitation.
Here are just some of the criteria:
- Competitors demonstrate their knowledge and skills through scaling, mixing, preparing and baking eight products. The products include breads, rolls, cookies, and assorted pastries. The student must also demonstrate their cake decorating skills.
- The competitors are evaluated on organization, knife skills, cooking techniques, creative presentation, sanitation and food safety, and the quality and flavor of their prepared items.
- Competitors are tested on skills required in the front of the house of a fine dining restaurant. Competitors are judged on personal appearance, tableside manner, professionalism, ease with guests, courtesy, general knowledge and technical and verbal skills.
All of us here at Culinary Crossroads look forward to continued involvement with Skills USA competitions, as part of our partnership with Ivy Tech and our food sport initiative> Best wishes to all our state winners at the national competition in Atlanta in June.
