D214 Students Awarded Scholarship Funds At Bake-Off Event

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — Local students in District 214 were recently baking their ways to scholarship funds at the second annual Great District 214 Culinary Competition Bake-Off. Sponsored by State Senator Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights), teams from Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove and Rolling Meadows high schools competed in the event.

“I am so impressed with the talent and creativity students displayed this year,” Gillespie said in. statement. “Congratulations to our winners; I know you will be successful as you continue your culinary journey.”

Teams from Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove and Rolling Meadows high schools competed in savory and sweet categories by baking bread. The winning dishes, both from Elk Grove High School teams, were jalapeño popper monkey bread (Alejandro Pons Jurado and Jonathan Alvarado) in the savory category, and caramel macchiato cream cheese muffins (Samantha Rowan and Adam Chamala) in the sweet category. The students will each receive scholarship funds to attend Harper College.

Dishes were evaluated by a panel of judges that included Gillespie; Grace Goudie, executive chef at Scratchboard Kitchen; Heather Henkel, manager/confectioner at Kilwin’s; Charlie Brown, executive chef at The Moorings; and Brian Baseggio, chef at The Makerplace, Arlington Heights Memorial Library.

The bake-off was held in Arlington Heights Memorial Library’s Makerplace facility in partnership with Township High School District 214, Harper College, Arlington Heights Memorial Library and the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce, according to organizers.