It’s good to be the best, especially when we’re talking about an area that includes the entire state of New Hampshire.
And you can add a group of five culinary arts students from the Concord Regional Technical Center to that list after winning the New Hampshire ProStart cooking competition at the UNH Stillings Dining Hall in Durham on March 5.
The team, made up of Chase Haines (Concord High School), Anthony Costello (Pembroke Academy), Brandon Diaz (John Stark Regional High School), Megan Fraser (Hillsboro-Deering High School) and Katherine Killam (Hopkinton High School) defeated seven other high school culinary arts programs to earn the honor of best in New Hampshire.
Now, the five CRTC culinary wizards will compete against the very best high school culinary teams from across the country in the 15th annual National ProStart Invitational culinary competition in Dallas, from April 29 to May 1.
In the state cooking extravaganza, the teams had one hour to prepare a three-course, restaurant-grade meal using just two stovetop-style burners. Timing was crucial, as the meal had to be plated within the last three minutes of the competition. Each student team had to develop a unique recipe prior to the event, testing both their culinary skills and creativity.
And let’s just say the CRTC menu will leave you feeling a little on the hungry side.
For a starter, they prepared a North Woods Salad, crowned with braised bistro filet, exotic mushrooms and leeks on a bed of baby arugula tossed with Merlot blueberry sauce and Gorgonzola crumble.
The entree was Salmon Shoals Style with poached rainbow chard, butternut, cranberry, chevre couscous, New Hampshire maple mustard glaze on micro greens and fried basil.
And for dessert, they served Tears of Joy, which was white chocolate, cherry, poppy seed mousse in dark chocolate teardrops with white chocolate antlers and chocolate curls.
Area chefs and culinary instructors served as judges for the state competition and representatives from the Culinary Institute of America, Johnson & Wales University and the New England Culinary Institute presented scholarships to the winning team members.
Now it’s on to the national stage for the CRTC team.
“It was a great experience,” said Haines, a senior at Concord High, adding that the CRTC team spent three months developing and refining their winning recipe. “We started out as a team and now we are like family . . . it’s great to share this experience with them.”
ProStart is a nationwide, two-year high school program that unites the classroom and industry to develop the best and brightest talent so that students can achieve long term, successful careers in the restaurant and food service industry.
The national culinary competition highlights each team’s creative abilities through the preparation of a three-course meal in 60 minutes, using only two butane burners, and without access to running water or electricity. There is no room for error as teams are evaluated on taste, skill, teamwork, safety and sanitation. The top five teams will receive scholarships to some of the country’s top culinary arts programs.
The CRTC, located at Concord High School, is one of New Hampshire’s most advanced high school career and technical education facilities.
Opened in 1980, the CRTC serves more than 530 students from nine regional school districts. The 11 targeted career technical education programs use state-of-the-art equipment and are guided by the latest industry standards that provide students with hands-on experience in a realistic environment designed to prepare them for both college and the workplace.
For more information, visit thecrtc.net.
Insider staff
