Collard Green Deviled Eggs Earns FL Culinary Student Top Honors

PINELLAS PARK, FL — It's not the first ingredient that comes to mind when you're dreaming up a new recipe.

But when the American Culinary Federation Tampa Bay Chapter challenged students to come up with a delicious concoction featuring collard greens, Osceola Fundamental High School student Miracle Rivera was decided to take the chefs of ACF up on their offer.

Her recipe, "Collard Green Deviled Eggs," earned an enthusiastic response from the chefs as well as audience tasters, earning Rivera the title of 2022 Student Recipe Contest winner at the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival.

Prior to the festival Feb. 19, culinary students from Tampa Bay high schools created unique recipes in January evaluated by chefs in the Tampa Bay chapter of the ACF.

Other concoctions that won the approval of judges, going on to competition at the festival, were Collard Green Soup, submitted by Bayside High School, and a Collard Green Melt, submitted by Gigi Academy.

Chef Boyzell Hosey, who founded the festival five years ago, made the presentation to Rivera. She an ACF gold medal and award featuring laser-cut collard green leaf in glass and $100 honorarium.

The festival also featured concoctions from Tampa Bay ACF chefs using collard greens as an ingredient. One of the more popular recipes was Collard Green Smoothies.

The ACF Tampa Chapter has been a partner of the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival since it was founded.

The nonprofit chapter’s purpose is the advancement of the culinary profession and culinary awareness through education and certification of members. Membership includes Pasco and Pinellas County chefs. Among its initiatives is an ongoing program to educate children and families in the community about proper nutrition by providing tools and resources for community-based programs led by the chefs. understanding proper nutrition by providing tools and resources for community-based programs led by American Culinary Federation chef members.