High school student takes top honors in Colorado potato cookoff
High school student takes top honors in Colorado potato cookoff
THORNTON, CO -- A 17-year-old high school junior was awarded top honors and $1,000 cash at a March 19 student chefs' cookoff sponsored by the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee.
Six student chefs were chosen from an original field of 50 to compete in the cookoff. Heather Crosby, a student at Academy of Charter Schools in the Denver metro area city of Westminster, CO, was chosen by judges for her mashed potato doughnuts, which included Colorado russets as a primary ingredient.
Ms. Crosby, the youngest competitor at the event, told The Produce News that she is pursuing a career as a pastry chef, and part of her high school studies falls under the auspices of the Colorado Restaurant Association's Prostart program.
Prostart, a two-year foodservice and hospitality management curriculum offered to high school juniors and seniors, is nationally certified by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.
Committee Administrator Linda Weyers acted as one of six judges and made the awards presentation at the end of the event, which was held at the Adams 12 5-Star School District Administration buildings in northern metro Denver. Assisting in the event were the American Culinary Federation/Colorado Chefs Association, which arranged for the venue, and Seattle-based The Food Professionals, which organized the competition and narrowed the field to six competitors from 50.
Dee Munson of The Food Professionals said that the object of the cookoff was to "get chefs of tomorrow to appreciate and value the quality and many varieties of Colorado potatoes." Ms. Munson noted that eight culinary schools participated in the initial submission of recipes from which she and her daughter Kate Munson chose the finalists.
Second place and a $750 cash prize went to Kelly Salreno, a culinary student at Johnson & Wales University in Denver. Ms. Salreno's entry, potatoes au gratin, also used Colorado russets. Third place and $500 was awarded to Mathew Murtagh, a chef apprentice under Certified Executive Chef Jeremy Glas of Denver's famed LoDo Wynkoop restaurant.
Also scoring high marks from the judges were Christopher Johnson's Colorado baked potato pizza, Rob Bullock's Spanish-style potato salad and Sam Mascarenas' crab-stuffed baked potato. All three of the young men apprentice under Chef Glas.
Judges for the event were Kari Jensen of the ACF/CCF; Certified Executive Chef Bob Halloway, owner of Culinary Expressions in the Adams 12 building; Ms. Weyers; CPAC Merchandising Director Robin Lucky; Kim Stewart, editor- in-chief of Dining Out magazine; and Cara Hopkins, managing editor of Dining Out. Photography was handled by Mike Pizzuto of the ACF/CCF.
Six student chefs were chosen from an original field of 50 to compete in the cookoff. Heather Crosby, a student at Academy of Charter Schools in the Denver metro area city of Westminster, CO, was chosen by judges for her mashed potato doughnuts, which included Colorado russets as a primary ingredient.
Ms. Crosby, the youngest competitor at the event, told The Produce News that she is pursuing a career as a pastry chef, and part of her high school studies falls under the auspices of the Colorado Restaurant Association's Prostart program.
Prostart, a two-year foodservice and hospitality management curriculum offered to high school juniors and seniors, is nationally certified by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.
Committee Administrator Linda Weyers acted as one of six judges and made the awards presentation at the end of the event, which was held at the Adams 12 5-Star School District Administration buildings in northern metro Denver. Assisting in the event were the American Culinary Federation/Colorado Chefs Association, which arranged for the venue, and Seattle-based The Food Professionals, which organized the competition and narrowed the field to six competitors from 50.
Dee Munson of The Food Professionals said that the object of the cookoff was to "get chefs of tomorrow to appreciate and value the quality and many varieties of Colorado potatoes." Ms. Munson noted that eight culinary schools participated in the initial submission of recipes from which she and her daughter Kate Munson chose the finalists.
Second place and a $750 cash prize went to Kelly Salreno, a culinary student at Johnson & Wales University in Denver. Ms. Salreno's entry, potatoes au gratin, also used Colorado russets. Third place and $500 was awarded to Mathew Murtagh, a chef apprentice under Certified Executive Chef Jeremy Glas of Denver's famed LoDo Wynkoop restaurant.
Also scoring high marks from the judges were Christopher Johnson's Colorado baked potato pizza, Rob Bullock's Spanish-style potato salad and Sam Mascarenas' crab-stuffed baked potato. All three of the young men apprentice under Chef Glas.
Judges for the event were Kari Jensen of the ACF/CCF; Certified Executive Chef Bob Halloway, owner of Culinary Expressions in the Adams 12 building; Ms. Weyers; CPAC Merchandising Director Robin Lucky; Kim Stewart, editor- in-chief of Dining Out magazine; and Cara Hopkins, managing editor of Dining Out. Photography was handled by Mike Pizzuto of the ACF/CCF.
