NRHEG FACS claim many firsts

“We took first place in every category we entered,” observes NRHEG Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) teacher Kelly Delacruz. “Even one we didn’t know existed.”

 

Delacruz is describing a Feb. 15 culinary arts contest held at MNSU in Mankato. All South Central Service Cooperative schools were invited to compete; four took part: Mankato, St. Peter, Cleveland and NRHEG. Dubbed “Culinary Regional Arts Venue in Education,” (CRAVE), Delacruz saw it as an opportunity to prepare for state-level competition scheduled for March 14.

 

Two NRHEG teams entered in the “culinary” category, where they were expected to prepare an entree and either a dessert or an appetizer.

 

The trio of Jackson Chrz, Sam Olson and Jaylin Raab placed first among the seven teams entered. Their entree was glazed salmon with green beans. Their dessert was a lemon mousse with pistachios, white chocolate and blueberries.

 

Taking second place were Payton Curtis, Jayce Ihrke and Erik Nelson. Their entree was tilapia and asparagus; their appetizer was a savory buckwheat crepe with tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach.

 

NRHEG swept the category of “tablescaping,” in which participants were expected to choose a theme, then decorate and set places at a table which represented the theme. One very specific requirement was to find or create a napkin fold which added to the chosen impression, then to be able to demonstrate the fold. Taking first in this category was the team of Zoe Wilson and Adriannna Gutierrez-Chesley with the theme of a “romantic dinner.” In second place were Kyli Johnson and Malonna Wilson with their “elegant” table setting. Third place winner was Lukas Johnston who centered his decorations around “winter.” The napkin fold was a plate-sized, circular “snowflake.”

 

Delacruz mentions that she had told her tablescaping teams they had to create, design and display a menu describing the dishes that would be served at their respective meals. As a judge was circulating in the tablescaping space, she suggested that  Wilson and Johnson should take their printed list to the “menu design” competition taking place across the hall.

 

Unbeknownst to any other NRHEG team member, they did so. “We were all very confused when it was announced NRHEG had won in a category we hadn’t prepared to enter,” remembers Delacruz.

 

In general, she summarizes, judges were impressed with the work ethic and level of detail included by NRHEG competitors, with the compliment of “sophisticated” included more than once among the comments.

 

Taking first in the “knife skills” category was Andrew Broitzmann. The judging criteria was to cut a potato to the shape and size specified by the judges while also working neatly and efficiently.

 

Delacruz says she is pleased and impressed with her teams’ performance, but goes on to comment that state competition will draw many more schools from a much wider area.

 

“We did well,” she says. “That’s very positive, of course. But we have a long way to go before we can count ourselves ready for state.”