Local student chefs compete in national competition

Combining a little bit of this and a little bit of that to get an amazing dish – no tricks, it’s just that three juniors and two seniors have the magic touch.

“It’s a mixture of all our names, Maddie, Adrian, Jennier, not William but Illiam, and Ceasar, all of our names put into one,” La Quinta High School senior Maddie Ries said.

Just like a recipe, their team created something sweet.

“I think its from our teamwork and communication and sanitation and our dishes are pretty awesome,” Ries said.

These five young chefs from La Quinta High School’s Culinary Arts Institute will compete in the finals of the 2014 National Pro-start invitational, a nationwide cooking competition featuring high schools from all over the country.

“A lot of stress and a lot of changes made to our dish. We wanted to make things more complex,” Ries said.

To help the students raise money for their trip to Minneapolis, Miramonte Resort and Spa will host a “Grand Tasting” fundraising dinner.

The moroccan themed menu features mussels, Moroccan Rockin’ chicken, and a dessert of poached pears.

“They have practiced hard, they know their menu, their places, they’re a great team,” Sheri Tucker from the Culinary Arts Institute said.

During the competition, and back at the institute – paving the way for their futures.

“The opportunity to be exposed to actual equipment they will find in the real world is a great training tool. They have time to investigate and learn,” Tucker said.

Hopefully the students will put a spell on their judges with their dish.