Siletz news /, June 01, 2012, Page 6, Image 6

Saxons place in top five at national culinary competition
By Elida S. Perez; copyright by the States­
man Journal, reprinted with permission
The South Salem High School’s
ProStart culinary team placed fourth at
the National ProStart Student Invitational
held in Baltimore at the end of April.
The team advanced to nationals after
winning at the state level competition held
in Portland in February hosted by the Ore­
gon Restaurant & Lodging Association.
To date, South Salem has sent a culi­
nary team to nationals five times, this year
being the first they’ve placed in the top
five in the nation.
The 2012 South Salem ProStart team
included Jessica Harris, Evelyn Romero,
Ryal Toepfer, (Siletz Tribal member)
Kayla Lane and alternate Giscelda Real.
Their culinary teacher, Cheff Todd
Wieweck, and mentors, Chris Neuffer and
Knsta Carpino, also attended.
The top five ranking teams from the
national culinary competition are awarded
medals and scholarships to help further
their careers in the restaurant and food
service industry.
South Salem students brought
home $4,500 each in scholarships from
the National Restaurant Association
Education Foundation, Indiana
University of Pennsylvania and Louisiana
Culinary Institute.
South Salem also took home several
scholarships from local schools as win­
ners of the state championship.
South Salem High School’s student chefs excel
Culinary team places
fourth in nation
competitors did not expect the magnitude
of the national arena. The national com­
petition had larger audiences, film crews
By Elida S. Perez; copyright by the States­
and commentators announcing the teams.
man Journal, reprinted with permission
“It was nerve-racking,” Toepfer said.
Wielding knives, pans and fresh ingre­
Regardless of the setting, the team
dients, the South Salem High School Pro­ started strong and received high praises
Start culinary team cooked its way to the top for their knife skills.
five at a national competition in Baltimore.
Throughout the cooking part of the
The school has competed at the competition, where they had one hour to
National ProStart Student Invitational in prepare a three-course meal, there were a
the past, most recently in 2009, but this couple of mishaps.
is the first time a team has earned a finish
Romero almost burned the butter
among the best programs.
needed for the dessert garnish. Since the
“They are among the top 16 (student team had only enough ingredients for each
chefs),” said Chef Todd Wieweck, the dish, she had to work with the butter that
team’s leader. “It’s really impressive.”
cooked a little too long.
Students Jessica Harris, Kayla Lane,
“It had a darker color,” she said, add­
Evelyn Romero, Ryan Toepfer and alter­ ing the judges didn’t take notice. “They
nate Griscelda Real placed fourth among (said) they loved it.
the 41 teams that competed.
Lane had the case of a missing ingredient
The first-time competitors qualified while she was preparing the morel mush­
for nationals after taking first place at the rooms and pea cream sauce for the entree.
2012 Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Asso­
“I couldn’t find the cornstarch,”
ciation’s ProStart High School Culinary she said.
Championships in Portland in February.
But Lane improvised and said she
The team trained intensely leading kept reducing the mixture until it reached
for the April invitational, but the novice a workable consistency and taste.
“They liked my mistake,” Lane said.
While the cooking was under way,
Wieweck had to stand a few feet away on
the sidelines unable to so much as make
eye contact with his crew.
“It’s stressful to watch and not be able
to do anything,” Wieweck said, adding
the team could have been disqualified if
judges thought they were getting help.
Although he couldn’t advise his team,
Wieweck was able to watch some of the
other competitors in action and said he
was confident the Saxons would place.
The team’s final score was 90 points,
getting them in the top five.
“They missed third place by less than
a point,” he said.
The top five ranking teams from the
national culinary competition are awarded
medals and scholarships to help further
their careers in the restaurant and food
service industry.
South Salem students brought home
$4,500 each in scholarships from the
National Restaurant Association Educa­
tion Foundation, Indiana University of
Pennsylvania and Louisiana Culinary
Institute. South Salem also took home
several scholarships from local schools as
winners of the state championship.
esperez@StatesmanJoumal.com or
503-399-6740 or follow at Twitter.com/
ElidaSPerezSJ
On the menu
Appetizer: King Crab three ways
King crab sphere set on a crispy
wonton tower filled with marinated tofu;
cayenne tempura king crab with sau­
teed shiitake mushrooms; ginger butter
poached king crab atop sea bean, red
pepper and ramp salad.
Entree: Pan Seared Ling Cod with
Spring Peas
Pan seared Oregon ling cod served
atop crispy golden-brown fingerling pota­
toes, with shallots, bacon, ramps, morel
mushrooms and pea cream sauce.
Dessert: Vanilla Scented Flourless
Chocolate Cake
Wild Bolivian chocolate infused with
Tahitian vanilla bean. Served with a crisp
cocoa nib nougatine wafer along with a
red fruit compote, crème Anglaise and red
fruit sauce. The dessert was topped with
whipped cream and blood orange zest.
Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
Advisory Committee
Current Vacancy - Staggered terms will be established with
one-, two- and three-year terms.
Application deadline for consideration is June 15,2012.
Name:
Roll No:
Address:
City:
Telephone: Day (
State:
)
Evening (
ZIP:
)
I understand that if selected as a member of the VAWA Advisoiy Committee,
my responsibilities will be:
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•
•
•
•
•
•
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Consistently attending Advisory Committee meetings. The frequency of
meetings will be determined by the committee in consultation with the
program coordinator.
Reviewing agenda and materials prior to attending the meeting
Learning about the program through reading provided materials, attending
training sessions, etc.
Actively and regularly participating in meetings, work groups and training
Advising the program coordinator about issues related to the VAWA program
goals from respective communities
Sharing VAWA programs, events and other information with the community
Advising the program coordinator in establishing and management of
program protocols and procedures
Do not hesitate to comment, criticize constructively or disagree.
Keep in mind that the committee has authority to act as a group, not individually.
Signature:
Date:
Please mail or fax your application to Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians,
Attn: VAWA Coordinator, P.O. Box 320, Siletz, OR 97380-0320; fax: 541-444-9678*
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Siletz News
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June 2012