Cooking students learn real-world skills
Eight teams of four students each showed their culinary prowess at annual competition
The smell of garlic and tension filled the air as students rushed around a gleaming stainless steel kitchen stirring, blending, pouring and plating freshly made dishes to be judged in just five minutes’ time.
With one minute to go, the slap of a high five and an exclamation, “We did it!” could be heard from a team of chefs putting the final touches on their plates.
Just as quickly as the last five minutes of their deadline flew by, the students disappeared, along with their plates of food, only to be found in a room across the hall. Lined up in a neat row, the four girls watched in silent anticipation as the judge tasted the creations set before him.
“The judge was really receptive and he said everything looked great and tasted great,” said Breanna Morrison. “He said our steak was perfectly cooked, so it was a great way to end, knowing that we did everything that we set out to do.”
Morrison, a Grade 11 student at Miller Comprehensive Catholic High School, spent an hour and a half — along with three teammates — preparing an appetizer, main course and dessert at the Regina Catholic School Division’s second annual cooking competition on Saturday.
Eight teams of four students from all four RCSD high schools competed for cash prizes by creating dishes based around beef and judged by four local Red Seal chefs.
“It was really crazy because at the beginning you’re like, ‘Pace yourself.’ You have to make sure you have all the timing right at the end,” said Morrison. “Then you’re at the end and you’re like, ‘I have all this stuff I have to do!’ ”
Morrison starting taking cooking classes at Miller in Grade 9. Having completed three classes so far, she intends on taking two more before she graduates. While becoming a chef isn’t her career goal, she said learning how to cook is something she will take with her forever.
“It’s validating,” she said. “You can cook and make food that people with all this experience and all this training can enjoy, so it proves that you can make things that are worthwhile.”
Richard Donnelly, a practical and applied arts consultant for RCSD, helped organize the event and said the high-pressure atmosphere and opportunity to apply skills learned in the classroom is an invaluable experience for students.
“After my 30 years of teaching, I think it’s one of the best examples I’ve ever seen for the connection of curriculum to a real-world application,” said Donnelly.
He said the school division has seen an increased interest in cooking, crediting it to the recently renovated restaurant-quality kitchen at Miller, which he said rivals anything in the province. He also credits the school’s teacher, chef Martin Turcotte, for encouraging students to get involved from a young age.
Sponsored by the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association, the competition will run for at least another two years, but Donnelly hopes it will continue beyond the association’s four-year commitment.
“The students have to operate in a safe environment. They have to learn about recipes. They have to learn about ingredients and measurement,” he said. “There’s no question it’s completely valuable and a transferable skill to their adult life.”
For Morrison, timing everything was the most challenging part, but she said working with her team was a major highlight of the competition.
“We all work really well together and we know each other,” she said. “It was just a fun group to be with and cook with.”
Morrison’s team ended up in fifth place, with a team from Riffel winning $500 for first place, a team from Miller winning $300 for second place and a team from O’Neill winning $200 for third place.
After my 30 years of teaching, I think it’s one of the best examples I’ve ever seen for the connection of curriculum to a real-world application.