Etowah High Culinary Team Competes In State Competition

WOODSTOCK, GA -- A Cherokee County School District culinary team competed at the state level with its farm-to-school-inspired recipe.

The team of Etowah High School Family and Consumer Sciences students Isabelle Bridges, Milas Alexis Dominguez, Alexander Fiscarelli and Marie-Andree Girard was invited to cook up its Tex-Mex Quinoa Bowl at the Georgia Department of Education’s third annual Shake it Up Farm-to-School Student Chef Competition in Macon. Only nine teams from across the state were invited to compete. Putnam County High School’s team won the cook-off.

Each team developed a healthy recipe using Georgia grown foods that could easily be added to their school’s cafeteria menu. Recipes were judged at the competition by professional chefs on overall appeal, appearance and execution, taste and presentation. The teams also were judged on their sanitation and food safety skills.

CCSD School Nutrition Director Tina Farmer said she and her staff were very impressed by the team and are working to add the recipe to high school cafeterias later this spring. The team’s sponsor is Etowah High School Family and Consumer Sciences teacher, Amanda Shafer.

“The Student Chef Competition is a perfect example of the direction we’re moving in here in Georgia,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said in a release. “We want to encourage learning that is out of the box, outside the status quo, and relevant to students’ lives and plans after high school. The Student Chef competition connects the school cafeteria with students’ learning, and gives kids a chance to gain hands-on experience that could lead to a future career.”