River Hill High School Students Snag 3rd In State Culinary Competition

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Five students at River Hill High School recently took home third place in the culinary portion of the 2023 Maryland ProStart Student Invitational.

The team comprised of Omar Hijazi, Ishaan Tilva, Roman Rawls-Blodgett, Jacob Cohen and Ben Burton planned, cooked and presented a three-course meal to a panel of judges. They were scored on proper food safety and sanitation procedures, cooking methods, food taste, teamwork and menu difficulty, according to the school district.

“This event is about opening the doors to students’ creativity. They can present a three-course meal that may get into the hands of someone they weren’t even expecting,” Olivia Aberdeen, director of programs and education for the Restaurant Association of Maryland said. “Our judges come from every aspect of the industry, allowing them to connect with extremely gifted students. This competition brings out a passion they probably never knew they had, confidence to come back the next year, and opportunities to build their skills at top universities or jobs."