Three Lions Win National Culinary Medals :::
Three Lyons Township High School 2010 graduates participated and earned medals in the National STAR (Students Taking Action with Recognition) Competition held at the annual Family, Career and Community Leaders of America’s (FCCLA) 2010 National Leadership Conference in Chicago this past summer.
B. Francis competed in Culinary Arts, a team event which recognizes participants for their ability to produce a quality meal using industrial culinary arts/food techniques and equipment. Francis was a member of the Illinois 3-chef team, which was given the distinction of the FCCLA #1 culinary team in the nation. He served as the team’s pastry chef and made a fresh fruit tart with a graham cracker crust and a pastry cream filling topped off with sliced strawberries, kiwi and grapes, along with a strawberry coulis and English custard for garnish.
The team was given three menus to practice and memorize prior to the competition. Each menu was broken up into four dishes: soup or salad, entree, side dish, dessert. Each team had one hour to cook and plate two complete meals - one for tasting and one for presentation. He says, “Anyone who wants to cook – can. It just takes time and practice and the willingness to make mistakes along the way to perfection.”
Francis received a gold medal and scholarship offers to attend five different culinary schools. He accepted a 4-year, $16,000 scholarship to attend the Culinary Institute of America in New York.
A. Harn and K. Chowela received silver medals in the Life Event Planning for their Harry Potter party. This LT duo qualified for national competition after receiving a gold medal and being named Most Outstanding for their party plan at the regional competition and after their gold medal winning submission at the state competition held in April.
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