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Students Seek Recipe For Success

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT

yhammett@tampatrib.com

Published: February 7, 2009

RIVERVIEW - There are rare occasions in life when it's cool to wear a hairnet.

It's cool when you're pulling back your hair and donning a chef's hat, preparing to create a meal that could land you a full ride at one of the state's most notable culinary universities.

Students from six schools in Hillsborough County will be doing just that Sunday at the Florida ProStart Culinary Team Competitions in Orlando.

A team from Riverview High School - the gourmet meal team - spent their fair day off from school Friday practicing the finer points of the culinary arts.

For the competition, they'll prepare three dishes: an appetizer, an entree and a dessert. The key, said chef instructor Todd Jent, is coming up with fresh ideas for dishes that can be prepared in the rigid competition time frame - one hour.

"There's a huge waiting list just to get in the competition," said Jent's fellow chef instructor, Jessica Evans. "There are 46 schools from Key West to the Panhandle."

Winning teams will travel to San Diego to compete on The Food Network. $830,000 in scholarship money is up for grabs from schools in the state.

"I'm so excited," said Sam Light, 17, of Brandon, as she and her best friend, Brooke Champagne, 18, also of Brandon, began prep work for this weekend's competition. "This is a really, really big deal."

Teammate Josh Izzi will join Light and Champagne on the gourmet meal team.

"Everything is made from scratch, even the chicken stock," said Champagne, filling Styrofoam cups with various ingredients for their dishes during practice this week.

The team's appetizer will be southwestern shrimp and homemade tortillas with a tomatillo salsa and cilantro lime foam. The entree will be chipotle rice with chorizo empanada and cilantro lime sour cream. Dessert will be chocolate cheesecake with an orange meringue, poached in simmering milk and cream.

Competition winners should be announced within two weeks.

CULINARY COMPETITORS

Hillsborough County schools with culinary programs that will compete at the Florida ProStart Culinary Team Competitions are:

•Riverview High School

•Armwood High School

•Sickles High School

•Wharton High School

•Leto High School

•King High School

Reporter Yvette C. Hammett can be reached at (813) 865-1566.

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