May 6, 2010
I recently had the great pleasure of mentoring a group of students from Carson High’s Culinary Arts program. The team that I mentored was gearing up for the ProStart National Invitationals, a conference/competition put together by the National Restaurant Association. This year the annual competition was hosted in Overland Park, Kansas from April 30th to May 2nd. This post shares what I learned from my time with the students and their amazing instructor.
I was invited originally to teach the students how to fabricate chickens, the competition would have them processing whole chickens under the watchful eye of judges. It wasn’t long before I signed up to mentor the team through the competition as a whole.
The Crew
Penny Reynolds (Ren) is the culinary instructor for the program and I have to say that she embodies my vision of what a teacher should be. She has the amazing ability to encourage her students to work harder at what they love without any negativity. On our trip one of the judges commented that she “walks about a foot off the ground” when describing her energy. I couldn’t have said it better.
Collin Grischott (Boss) is the team’s leader for good reason. He is not only talented in the kitchen, he is also a serious member of the Navy JROTC program at Carson High. His leadership seems to come naturally and makes it easy for the team members to follow his lead. The kid’s smart too, he has a full ride to OSU and plans to study Nuclear Engineering before his career starts in the Marine Corps.
Robyn Gowan (Woman) brings a confident air to the group as she shows off her pastry skills with the team’s dessert. Outside of the culinary program she is taking AP courses and plans to continue her culinary education at Johnson and Wales in Denver. Her skills and passion will take her on a great culinary journey.
Zack Brockmeier (Noob) was the teams alternate this year, he is a sophomore and will have two more years to compete as part of the team. Zack started out as a quiet and shy member but I saw many changes come about during our trip. His intelligence is obvious after just a short conversation and his focus is unflinching. His support of the team throughout the competition was key to their successes.
Yesinia Hua (PITS) lightens the mood wherever she goes with her upbeat attitude. Quick witted quips keep everyone smiling through the day but don’t let that fool you, when she puts on her serious face there is no stopping her. As with the rest of the team she is taking AP courses and on the fast track to a great college career. Her attention to detail took the the team’s menu to the next level.
Sean Weekley (Killer) stops most ladies in their tracks with his dimples. After he breaks the ice his confidence shines through and he has the opportunity to show off his winning charisma. Sean takes more pride in his work than just about anybody his age that I have met. His future at Johnson and Wales in North Carolina is sure to be the start of a great culinary journey.
Practice, practice, practice
When Mrs. Reynolds tells her competition team that they need to be dedicated and willing to spend the time she means it. This team practiced their menu, knife skills and presentation just about every day after school from January on. Zack did the math and came up with just over 500 hours or so in practice. Each day they would set up a “kitchen” similar to the ones at the real deal. I say “kitchen” because the are very limited on equipment- two folding tables, two butane burners, no electricity, no running water, no ovens. ProStart only provides the tables and burners, the team had to pack and haul the rest with them.
When I showed up for my first practice I was impressed at how much they had already perfected the menu. With only 60 minutes to prepare three courses from start to finish time was of the essence. They had it down to about 35 minutes….. We changed up a few items on the menu to add some time and difficulty and they kept practicing.
The Brightest Stars
Throughout practice, traveling and on site at the competition it was clear that the team was a step above your average high school students. Their professionalism shined as they told their story to clerks, flight attendants and passers by on the voyage. It was a joy to see the reactions from people as they had a group of teenagers describe a menu reserved for fine restaurants.
Once we checked in to the hotel it was time for some shopping to pick up ingredients. The team scoured Whole Foods, Dean and DeLuca and other specialty stores looking for the perfect parts to build their dishes. They literally picked through every orange to find just the right one, asked about the origin of sea scallops from an unsuspecting seafood clerk and tasted cheeses to discover the perfect balance of salt and cream.
When it came time to register and check in at the competition it was even more clear how serious and professional these guys were. Matched head to toe in their blue polo shirts, black slacks and black shoes, they stood out from the other teams. Sometimes it is these little things that display your level of commitment and it was clear that some teams were missing the mark. Later on Friday night ProStart hosted the orientation and welcoming party. Our team handed out playing cards from the Carson Nugget and met and mingled with the other teams and judges. We heard nothing but positive comments from all the folks that the met that night.
Time To Show Off
Nerves were on edge the morning of the competition. At 4:45 AM I called down to the boy’s hotel room for a wake up call, Collin told me that they were all awake and getting dressed already. It was clear by his voice that they were ready for the day.
As we walked into the convention center, the team again matching from head to toe, they walked tall and you could see other teams take notice. A final rally speech and they were off into the depths of the halls, the last time that Penny and I could talk to them until they were finished.
When they arrived at their station they set out immediately to work on setting up for the knife skills segment. For this leg of the journey they would be assigned specific cuts to produce from their stock of vegetables and judged on skill, safety, sanitation and product knowledge. As expected they worked effortlessly and efficiently to produce perfect examples of their knife skills.
Next up was chicken fabrication, start with a whole chicken and end with eight perfectly separated pieces. I took a little extra pride in the fact that I had shared my experience in the butcher shop with the team for this segment. As they finished, one of the judges turned to me and asked if I was their instructor. He commented that he noticed them with whole chickens and turned around minutes later to see them finished and cleaning their stations. Perfect scores all around!
This is where it got serious. All of the time practicing would be rewarded as they setup for the main portion of the competition. Everything went just as planned. Perfectly seared scallops with expertly browned parmesan crisps, each individual cut of pepper and onion matching the rest for the hash and sugar spirals that seemed to come from a machine. We had planned to shock the room with a flambé of brandy on the scallops, Sean touched the pan to flame as he yelled “Let’s get fired up!” and everyone’s head turned. We knew that they would be plating their dishes with about 15 minutes left on the timer but Penny was biting her nails as time ticked down. The plates hit the tray and they called it done with about 2 seconds to go- PERFECT!
Learning From Experts
One of the best learning points of the weekend came from the judges’ critique a few hours after the cooking was complete. The team just before us walked out in tears…..
We entered a room full of talented chefs from around the country and pictures of the menu projected on a screen with a confident stride. Each judge had been assigned a specific part of the preparation to watch, and they went through the day from beginning to end with lots of positive comments and constructive criticism. Our team shook every hand, passed on their custom business cards and left the room with a flurry of hugs and high fives. Again, you could see the other teams a little shaken at the exuding confidence and energy from the Carson team.
The Wait
It seemed like the hardest part was behind us but we now had a full day to wait for results as we watched other teams compete. I was simply amazed at the ingenuity and quality of food that high school students were producing. Many of them attempted and were successful at dishes I wouldn’t try in competition, even after fifteen years in a professional kitchen. I was getting more and more nervous as the teams finished and dishes were put on display.
Our team got a chance to watch from the other side of the rope and critique other teams. They spent the day discussing what they had done and how it may or may not be better than other teams, we were still confident.
And the Finale
The awards banquet was held on Sunday night, a full 35 hours after the team started their competition. Most of the team left food on their plates as the nerves squashed their hunger. The method for presenting the awards leaves plenty of room for anxiety to build, they only announce the top five teams, starting at fifth place. As each winner is announced your nerves get twisted just a bit more knowing that the winning slots are dwindling and leaving you wondering if you were better than the team just announced.
In the end our team wasn’t called up for one of the top five places. It was rough to watch our team’s smiles fade into disappointment. Penny gave the team a quick rally speech, she told me soon after that she couldn’t remember a word she had said. I’m sure it was meant to reinforce the fact that our team of five from little old Carson City had already beat out 80,000 plus students to get where they were. I’m also sure it also affirmed all that they had learned along the way and how great of a team they had become.
Enlightened Again
The sour mood didn’t last long. I gave the team a little space for an hour and later found them at the pool laughing and letting of steam. I realized that the real lessons of the experience had sunk in. Sean, Yesinia and Zack will have another chance at the competition next year and they are more driven than ever now, already thinking about how they will conquer the challenge in the future.
It was a great privilege for me to be involved with the group. To me it seems like only a few years ago I was in their shoes, 17 and competing in a culinary competition which I had high hopes for but did not place. I plan to be even more involved next year and do my part to make the future of the culinary world a little better.
The full picture gallery can be seen on my facebook page.
