7 finalists face off at Future Chefs competition
Future Chefs cook-off features seven finalists
FITCHBURG » Who’s the top chef in Fitchburg Public Schools?
We will find out very soon when seven students in grades 3-5 compete in the ultimate cook-off at the 10th annual Future Chefs Culinary Competition on Thursday at Fitchburg High School.
“The Future Chef event is one of the highlights of the school year for us,” said FPS Nutrition Services General Manager David Semenza. “Nutrition Services plays a big role in the academic success of the students, and this event gives us a chance to interact with and work directly with the student contestants and their families. The fact that we are about to have our 10th annual event shows it has become a great school community event folks look forward to each year.”
The culinary competition will be held in the FHS cafeteria. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. and there is no cost to attend.
The Future Chefs competition is a nationwide recipe contest run by Sodexo.
The seven finalists are: McKay Arts Academy’s Travis Ferguson (3rd grade), Marlena Delfeld (5 th), Samantha Ann Racine, (5th), and Jennifer Racine (3rd); Crocker Elementary’s Connor Cox (3rd); and South Street Elementary’s Isabelle Maldonado (4th) and Jamayra Beltran (4 th).
Maldonado won last year’s Future Chefs competition by wowing the judges with her rotisserie chicken tortilla soup.
All finalists receive a chef coat, apron and hat.
The finalists will arrive at Fitchburg High at 5:15 p.m. to begin preparing their
submitted recipes. They will be paired with a kitchen staff member to help guide them and ensure that there are no safety issues.
Everyone in attendance will have the opportunity to sample all of the dishes.
Over the years, there have been a number of fabulous cooking themes, including healthy breakfast, favorite salad, healthy sandwich and healthy comfort food.
“For our 10th-year celebration of the event, we wanted to do something special,” Semenza said. “We thought it would be an excellent idea for students to give us their interpretation of what we specialize in, school lunch. As with any year, expect the contestants to wow you with their creativity and culinary skills. Judging will undoubtedly be difficult.”
There will be a panel of judges who will rate each recipe. Currently, confirmed judges are FPS Superintendent Robert Jokela, Mayor Stephen DiNatale, and school committee members Pete Stephens and Sally Cragin.
The winning recipe and grand prize winner will be announced at the end of the event. The winner will then go on to compete against other district champs in the hopes of winning the national grand prize.
“The entire Fitchburg Schools community, along with their family and friends, are invited to attend,” Semenza said.
“The event is free and you will not leave hungry. The contestants never cease to amaze us with their cooking skills and ideas. Come support these talented Future Chefs,” Semenza said.