Polaris Culinary Team Wins National Competition

Five students in the Polaris Career Center Chef Training program recently claimed a national title at the 2016 National ProStart Invitational Culinary Team Competition in Dallas, Texas. The annual event is hosted by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation and gives culinary students an opportunity to show off their skills.

Kind of like the popular show, Chopped on the Food Network, Polaris students prepared a three-course meal for a panel of certified chefs. The Polaris team had just one hour and two butane burners to prepare the meal. Creativity, communication, teamwork, organization, time management, skill level, safety and sanitation were all taken into consideration by the judges. This is the meal they presented:

• Appetizer Pan seared scallop, Ohio sweet pea puree, creamed winter corn, applewood bacon jam, espelette pepper oil and tomato ginger relish
• Main Entree Filet mignon, truffle foie gras potato croquette, morel mushrooms, fingerling potatoes, leeks and Swiss chard
• Dessert Gianduja chocolate mousse with dark chocolate glaze accompanied by mango Bavarian, almond coconut brittle, orange scented fritter, raspberry foam and mango coulis

Polaris Career Center Director of Community Outreach Doug Miller told Cleveland.com that this is the first time the school's chef training program has taken top honors in the culinary team event.

"We've won seven consecutive state championships, and the last couple of years we've had top 5 finishes at the national competition," Miller said. "This year the team got over the hump and won it all."

The culinary national championship team included the following students:

• Therese Napier, junior, North Olmsted High School
• Dakota Stevens, senior, Berea-Midpark High School
• Amber Stevens, senior, Berea-Midpark High School
• Chris Hritz, junior, Strongsville High School
• Emily Leopold, senior, Berea-Midpark High School

[Image source: @149Cheryl Twitter account]