By PAUL BOOTH
At the Culinary Education Center of Monmouth County it was every chef for themselves last week as students competed against one another in the SkillsUSA Competition, a culinary contest that tested the students’ abilities in all facets of the food service and hospitality industry, from culinary arts and commercial baking to job interview skills and knowledge of food and beverage service.
The winners, nine in all, will represent the CEC at the New Jersey State Skills USA Competition at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset on May 8. If they win there they will go on to the national competition in Kansas City in June.
The Culinary Education Center is a collaborative effort between Brookdale Community College and the Monmouth County Vocational School District that offers classes to junior and senior high school students as well collegiate courses and degrees in Culinary Arts. It is located on Drury Lane adjacent to Asbury Park High School.
There were competitions held at both levels this week, with students competing at the high school and the collegiate level.
In the cooking portion, competitors were separated by discipline, with one competition held in culinary arts (a three hour competition involving 30-minute knife skills, 30-minute salad preparation, and a two-hour entree session), and the other in baking skills (a four-hour competition).
The atmosphere on Friday during the collegiate competition was intense yet friendly as the students dashed around the CEC’s cooking quarters searching for ingredients and preparing their dishes, all the while being judged on their preparation, food quality and sanitation.
“If I make it to the next round, cool, if not I’ll be rooting for my friend,” said Ashley Cerrano, who was a winner in the baking competition at the state level last year and competed in the national competition.
Cerrano, in her her fourth year at the school, was competing against Cathy Halmi, who was in her first culinary competition.
“The is my first competition, my first year in school, my first everything, but it’s exciting,” said Halmi, who is going into her second semester at the CEC.
“I think the competition is good,” said Bill Hahn, an instructor at the CEC.
“It’s good for the students because it helps create that competitive edge that we all need out there in the real world,” he said.
“Also, our students grow so much during this time preparing for the competition, and that is a great learning experience for themselves and our school,” said the CEC’s director Michael Siriani. The competitive atmosphere, he said, allows students to get a better feel for their strengths and their weaknesses, which ultimately results in personal and professional growth.
“And that’s good for everybody, no matter your age or skill level,” Siriani said.
The CEC, which has two dining rooms operated by students and staff, is open to the public for lunch and dinner. They also operate a retail bakery.
The first place winners and those chosen to represent the CEC at the state tournament in May are:
High School Level
Commercial Baking: Kanesha Atkinson
Culinary Arts: Jake Ridgeway
Food and Beverage: Serena Hunt
Job Skills Demo: Bianca Afonso
Job Interview: William Wallbank
College Level
Commercial Baking: Catherine Halmi
Culinary Arts: David Thomas
Food and Beverage: Louis Cicalese
Job Skill Demo: Jennifer LeRoy
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