Salem students dish it out at statewide culinary competition

Some students graduate from high school knowing how to cook little more than instant ramen or mac and cheese. These are not those students. 

Teams from three Salem high schools competed Monday in the 2019 ORLAEF ProStart Invitational, a statewide culinary competition held by the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association Educational Foundation. 

Each team of four to five students was given one hour to prepare a three-course gourmet meal in front of a crowd using only two butane burners and analog kitchen equipment. Their kitchens for the day were folding tables set up in the Salem Convention Center, and though there were stations for hand-washing, the competition kitchens had no access to running water or electricity.

No electric mixer, no blender, no food processor and no oven; every element the students prepared they cooked from scratch. 

"The whole point of it," said ORLA communications director Lori Little, "is to go back to the basics and not rely on fancy equipment so they really are using their creativity and their skills." 

While many Salem residents were still sipping their morning coffee, South Salem High School senior Helen Taylor used a hand mixer to whip egg whites and sugar into glossy Swiss meringue. A few feet away her teammate Max Rock formed flour into a well on a cutting board, cracking eggs in to make a spinach pesto pasta.

When one needs to move behind someone with something hot they announce it in a clear voice and their teammates respond in unison, "heard." 

"Culinary classes nowadays are far removed from making muffins, making meatloaf, " said Glenn Dettwiler, who handles regulatory compliance at Portland's La Provence and Petit Provence. A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, he acted as one of the many judges for the day, watching the three teams in each round as they cook, making notes of teamwork, safe food handling and technique. 

Dettwiler stressed that instead of home economics staples, the teams cook menus and dishes that would work in real restaurants. 

South Salem's competition menu was inspired by Italian flavors: mushroom caps stuffed with Parmesan, breadcrumbs, and Oktoberfest sausage; for their entree, spinach pesto pasta alfredo with bacon and poached egg yolk; and, for dessert, vanilla cake with Swiss meringue, lemon curd, and strawberry cremeaux. 

Newberg High School deep-fried samosas, McMinnville High School pounded chicken out and filled it with with dried tomatoes and bacon to make a roulade, and Willamette High School students formed ravioli with ricotta, mascarpone and quail eggs. 

ProStart is a project of the National Restaurant Association, a two-year program meant to introduce high school students to the fundamental skills necessary for culinary careers in the hospitality industry. Though 33 Oregon schools participate in the ProStart Oregon program, only nine sent teams to participate in this year's statewide competition.

While the program is meant to allow students to explore the possibilities of culinary careers, participation in competitions like this one also offers opportunities for students to secure a share of more than $500,000 in scholarships and prizes. 

In addition to the culinary competition, five teams competed in a "management" division. They each developed a restaurant concept and presented it to a panel of judges at a simulated business exposition. 

Back in the makeshift kitchen, the clock has ticked down. With five minutes left McNary senior Madelyn Hurst had finished plating the dessert of coconut sticky rice pudding with kiwi and perfect cubes of mango and dragon fruit. She placed the finished plates on two trays, one for display and another for the judges, and wiped fingerprints from the rim of each. Rebecca Hall garnished an appetizer of Oregon-inspired summer rolls with puffy white threads of just-fried mung bean noodles. Knowing that it still needed to be hot when it reached the judges, senior Dakota Smith calmly stir-fried vegetables to be served with sesame-crusted steelhead. 

The team practiced cooking this menu at least once each week since January, specifically choosing dishes that they didn't think they would tire of. As with any of their other extracurricular activities, practice makes perfect.

Culinary Competition Results

First Place: Willamette High School, Eugene

Second Place: McNary High School, Salem

Third Place: North Salem High School, Salem 

Fourth Place: Seaside High School

Fifth Place: McMinnville High School

Management Competition Results

First Place: South Salem High School, Salem 

Second Place: Century High School, Hillsboro

Third Place: Willamette High School, Eugene

Additional Awards

Oregon ProStart Student of the Year – Shane Wilder, Willamette High School

Oregon ProStart Mentor of the Year – Irina Bakun, McNary High School

Oregon ProStart Teacher of the Year – Chef Laura Hofer, South Salem High School

Emily Teel is the Food & Drink Editor at the Statesman Journal. Contact her at eteel@statesmanjournal.com, or via Facebook or Twitter. See what she's cooking and where she's eating this week on Instagram: @emily_teel