Philly's Food Experts Visit With Culinary Students

PHILADELPHIA – Culinary students at Murrell Dobbins Career and Technical Education High School got a visit from some very special guests this week. On Monday, May 15, James Beard Award-winning chefs and restaurateurs Stephen Starr, Michael Solomonov, and Greg Vernick stopped by the school where they met with budding chefs.

At the James Beard Awards – referred to as the Oscars of the food world – in Chicago recently, Starr won the Outstanding Restaurateur award, Vernick won best chef in the mid Atlantic region, and Solomonov was named Outstanding Chef overall.

At the event Monday, the three were honored for their outstanding work in the culinary world and got to taste some of Dobbins students' own creations.

According to Philadelphia Mayor's Office of Education, students presented their signature dishes to the chefs: homemade manicotti, chicken Alfredo stuffed pasta shells, and an invention by seniors Dawud Brown and Donte Abney, a cheeseburger dip.

To the students' delight, the three culinary masters loved each dish.

Students got to pick Starr, Solmonov, and Vernick's brain, inquiring about backgrounds, favorite dishes, and how to succeed such a competitive field.

"I am truly honored that these talented award winners represent our great city, and am thrilled to connect them with our culinary students at Dobbins," Mayor Jim Kenney said at the event. "We applaud these creative visionaries who build businesses that provide jobs and pathways to great careers, as well as raise the profile of Philadelphia as a food destination."

Image via City of Philadelphia