These students get to learn from some of the best in the business, and it makes a huge impact on their development and future success,” Molinaro said. “Industry engagement is crucial in preparing the next generation of culinary professionals. The high school students were mature, serious and receptive to all comments, instructions and suggestions, confirming they’d understood and agreed with a resounding, “Yes, Chef!” The competition judges taste and critique all the students’ salad submissions The judges spoke fondly of their time in culinary programs, Flagstaff and building their restaurants before observing, guiding tasting and critiquing the dishes. These students received mentorship and encouragement from experienced professionals in the field. Her first time helping out with C-CAP, Wong was excited to check out even younger culinary talent, many of whom will end up in the HRM class visits or interning at one of her restaurants. I hope to inspire and guide, and love being involved in their journey,” Wong said. “I love being able to work with young people who are attracted to the industry and just starting out. Dara Wong observes young chef competitors while they work to finish before the countdown. Wong is a regular visitor to HRM classes where she talks about her restaurant tour experience and menu engineering concepts she also has been a judge within HRM culinary classes. They spoke to the importance of industry engagement in supporting young people’s career readiness, with one chef noting his first position with Pizza Hut. The judges included Dara Wong, owner of Shift Kitchen & Bar, Mike Schmidt, culinary director and partner-owner of That Place Projects, and Jamie Thousand, owner of Satchmo’s BBQ, to name a few. Thanks to the support of local industry leaders, who served as judges, the competitors were able to benefit from wide-ranging and diverse feedback given by professionals who worked their way up in the field. Many HRM students complete a culinary internship with local culinary partners. “Our goal is to transform lives through culinary arts education, and events like this really bring that to life.” “We’re thrilled to be able to provide this opportunity for these students,” Molinaro said. Chef Mark Molinaro shows student-chef chopping techniques while other young chefs chop away. The competition was a part of NAU’s effort to support the career readiness of the next generation of hospitality professionals in Arizona. Chef Mark Molinaro, associate executive director and associate teaching professor in the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management, walked through the teams stopping to offer advice, suggestions and even demonstrated proper knife technique. HRM’s demonstration kitchen was filled with eager young chefs-their aprons tied tight and their eyes bright as they assessed their stations and got to work. The competition featured a nail-biting countdown and was an interactive opportunity for these aspiring culinary professionals to showcase their skills and potentially win scholarships to a university with a culinary program. NAU’s School of Hotel and Restaurant Management recently hosted a cooking competition for Arizona high school students in conjunction with Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), a workforce development nonprofit that provides underserved teens a pathway to success. Cooking up a storm: High school students compete for scholarships at HRM competition
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