Culinary has been hard at work this year honing their skills to compete. C-CAP, or Careers through Culinary Arts Program, hosts an annual competition for aspiring chefs in high school programs. With thousands of dollars in scholarships on the line, the competition is an incredible opportunity for students looking to attend higher culinary education, 

The C-CAP competition consists of two separate groups: juniors and seniors. Each group must prepare three separate dishes and will be judged throughout the entire process. The chefs face immense pressure as professionals are constantly watching their every move and they are timed on each dish. Everything is taken into account, ensuring chefs are judged on every aspect of cooking and can measure up to professional standards.

The event is also timed, testing students’ ability to properly manage their time when under intense pressure. One of the most advanced dishes this year was the C-CAP salad, a salad featuring a variety of greens held together by a bowl made of cucumber slices designed to test knives and other technical skills. The idea behind the event is to test students in all areas of cooking to see how they would perform in a real restaurant kitchen.

Two students in the senior category, Kaylah Kauffman and Adrianna Lopez, brought home $2000 scholarships. Senior Kaylah Kauffman received the C-CAP Education Scholarship which she plans to use as a way to further her education in the culinary arts. Kauffman explained that the most difficult part of the competition was “Keeping calm, you feel the pressure of all the judges. There was a French chef walking around judging everyone’s French omelette.” The competition was full of expert judges specializing in various fields and students were being constantly watched for mistakes.

In the junior category, Jaylene Cid placed in the top 10 out of 35 contestants that entered from high schools all around the state. Cid was recognized for her technical skills with a new set of knives as well as an award and wants to compete again next year as a senior. When asked the secret to her success, Cid said “Getting down the timing through lots of practice, it’s much easier to stay on time when you don’t have to think about every little thing.”

. Culinary teacher Angela Stutz expressed her approval, saying “I am so proud of their perseverance and dedication in these uncertain times.” As a hands-on course, culinary has faced its share of challenges this year, but the program has still managed to produce award winning students at this year’s competition