Group 1. Jaime, Kelsie, Yan Carlos, Noah

Noah, and Kelsie made variations on a different pasta dish. Noah made cacciatore, and Kelsie made chicken parm. Both were delicious. Yan Carlos stepped out and decided to wrap the chicken around the asparagus for an interesting presentation. Very inventive! Jaime used a family recipe for cooking the chicken and the flavor was amazing!

Moving on to the semi-finals - Jaime and Noah

Group 1. Josh, Katie, Elvis, Banastre

In this round we saw a few Asian inspired dishes as Banastre made a Chicken Katsu and Josh a Teriyaki chicken. Katie made a chicken parmesan and Elvis tried his hand at a chicken alfredo. This was one of the closest competitions we have ever had!

Moving on to the semi-finals - Elvis and Katie

During the last few years the semi-final round has been to create a soup but this year I thought the we should switch it up. Because of the excellent cooking techniques employed during the quarterfinal round, I decided to test the students with a little harder protein to cook correctly, a pork loin. This cut is low in fat and must be cooked perfectly in order for it to retain its juicyness. My faith in these students was rewarded as each of them delivered a perfectly cooked piece of pork alongside the required potatoes. 

In this round students also had to create a sauce from scratch. Noah chose to include some broccoli alongside his pork with honey garlic sauce. Katie made a delicious brownsugar and balsamic glaze for her pork. Elvis went in a different direction and made a Dijon cream sauce. Jaime made a fresh salsa roja for his pork tacos. All were delicious and once again Chef Jones was looking up at the ceiling and pacing around trying to figure a way to differentiate between the 4 delicious plates. Ms. Feeney attended the judging (and tasting!) and declared each one would make her extremely happy if she ordered them at a restaurant. 

Moving on.............. Elvis and Noah

The final round this year, once again is the plated dessert competition. Students have four hours to create, bake, and plate a dessert as if it were ordered in a restaurant. Additionally, students get an opportunity to ask one of their classmates to serve as their sous-chef. Elvis chose Regina who is one of our top bakers in the class and Noah chose Yan Carlos who has been working with food for years and has great technique.