High school students vied for one of the esteemed top three spots at the annual Loyalist College Junior Iron Chef competition to be held on Saturday, February 7. Eleven teams were selected to advance to the semi-finals but due to inclement weather two were unable to attend. After much deliberation the top three were chosen, naming Kingston’s Loyalist Collegiate Vocational Institute (LCVI), North Hastings High School and Picton’s Prince Edward Collegiate Institute (PECI) as the contenders in this year’s upcoming final competition. The other schools selected to participate in the semi-finals included Trenton High School, East Northumberland Secondary School (Brighton), Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School (Courtice), La Salle Secondary School (Kingston), Port Hope High School, Cobourg District Collegiate Institute East, Sydenham High School and Port Perry High School.
This is the eighth year that Loyalist students have organized the competition in order to promote the art of cooking to aspiring young chefs and to showcase the excellence of the College’s Culinary programs. In recognition of the time and commitment of the finalists, teachers, coaches, sponsors and volunteers who are participating in this exciting event, the Loyalist students are hosting an appreciation dinner prior to February 7th in the College’s Club 213. The menu will be created, prepared and served by Loyalist students.
“Organizing this competition has been a great experience,” said Alex Tenwesteneind, a Culinary student and a member of the committee organizing the Junior Iron Chef Competition. “This industry needs more qualified people and I can’t think of a better way to gain the interest of high school students. When they meet with us and see what we are doing as Culinary students we are able to share our love of cooking with them. The College’s Television and New Media Production students will be televising the budding chefs in action on the big screen. The competition begins at 11:00 a.m. This year’s winning team will be announced at 2:00 p.m., with all three teams receiving amazing prizes from our sponsors.”
Professor Margaret Beaumaster praised the Loyalist students who have organized the competition. “Each year our students build upon the previous year’s strengths and take the competition to new heights. In addition to fabulous door prizes, this year’s group is introducing dough and pasta demonstration stations, giving visitors the opportunity to watch our students in action while the high school students compete in the kitchen. Our students have done an amazing job of organizing this event and have done so in a manner that reflects the true professionals that they are.”
Members of the community are invited to watch the culinary challenge on the big screen in Loyalist’s cafeteria on February 7th, from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., followed by the announcement of this year’s champions. The $5.00 admission fee allows guests to taste the Loyalist students’ samples, enjoy mini Spa treatments and be eligible for great door prizes.
Media Contact: Marilyn Warren, Communications, Loyalist College, (613) 969-1913, ext. 2332; e-mail: mwarren@loyalistc.on.ca or Margaret Beaumaster at (613) 969-1913, ext. 2213