PRESSURE COOKER
Pottstown High School culinary arts student Julia Day serves up a meal in the annual Chopped Challenge, which was modeled after Food Network’s reality cooking show “Chopped.”
POTTSTOWN » Pottstown High School Culinary Arts students found out what it is like to feel the pressure of being creative and at the same time meet the demands of a working kitchen. They competed in their annual “Chopped Challenge” which is modeled after Food Network’s reality cooking show “Chopped.” The owners of Grumpy’s restaurant on High Street, Gene and Sheila Dugan, started the challenge a few years ago as a way to give back to the community and create a real life learning experience for students.
This year students had one hour to make a sandwich using mystery ingredients revealed to them right before the time clock started — chicken breast, blue cheese crumbles, cold brew coffee and cinnamon jelly beans! The student chefs were allowed to add additional ingredients to make it their own creation and impress the four judges.
Students competed for $50 cash and a gift basket of kitchen utensils. The winning sandwich will be placed on the Grumpys menu for a year!
Once the students finished their dishes it was time for the judging panel consisting of, community members Paul Haverly and Amy Wolf along with School Board President Amy Frances and Human Resource Director Deena Cellini to sample the sandwiches and score according to the taste, use of all ingredients, presentation and teamwork.
The judges announced the winning sandwich, “The Double Bleu,” the creation of the team consisting of Julia Day, Amaya Stevenson and Kyle Taylor.
Culinary Arts instructor, Jacquelyn Mathias, said “We are fortunate to have such community minded partners like Sheila and Gene Dugan who are willing to give their time, re- sources and experiences so that are students can their skill and prepare to enter the adult work world.”
Community partnership leads to student achievement, another reason to say Proud to be from Pottstown.