The annual Culinary Conference is coming up fast this year on the 19th of November from 8:00am to 4:00pm at the UNL East Campus, formerly held at Southeast Community College.

It is an annual event, as previously mentioned, sponsored by LPS, in which students from their high school Culinary Arts and FCS classes from all around Nebraska participate and get to show their artistic side through food preparation, be judged, and possibly win some prizes. Judging will be local chefs, culinary students from UNL, and culinary professionals.

With the absence of Mrs. Holliday, Mrs. Dawson and Mrs. Lokie, the FCS and Food Preparation teachers will be taking students. In an interview, Lokie said about the competition, “I have been to 3 conferences. I enjoy the day and seeing all the work teachers and students have put forth. It is great to see the pride in their efforts.”

In the beginning stages of the competition, all students do is practice, practice, practice. After the laborious task of chopping potatoes, julienning carrots, and meticulously carving Birds of Paradise from crisp apples for days on end, the students are finally ready for the first stage in the competition.

Judges select the students with the best presentation and creativity at the in-class competition. After that, the students continue practicing and preparing their centerpieces. On the day of the competition, students bring in their needed ingredients and garnishes and set up the presentation at the competition in front of the judges. Although there is an exception for the more elaborate entries.

A team competition also takes place at the conference in which the students prepare a meal with their designated team.  One student who participated in the team competition last year is Bretton Cole, a sophomore this year at Northeast. He and his teammates made “Teriyaki Chicken over Somen Noodles with vegetables.” When asked if the competition was difficult, he replied, “Kind of because if we didn’t have an ingredient, we had no dish.”

Upon entering the room, your eyes land on a multitude of showcases of true creativity. To name several, a turkey made entirely of fruit, a bird in a cage, a watermelon shark, a watermelon turtle, a chick busting out of an egg, a pumpkin painted to resemble a giant apple, and plenty more amazing displays. These particular examples were all a part of the fruit carving and garnishes segment of the competition.

A Northeast senior who participated in the competition last year, Abigail Termaat, took part in the Tapas competition and made fruit kabobs. She felt it wasn’t as difficult to participate in the competition, “It’s super easy, just have to set up (a) plate. Everything (is) done/practiced before.”

According to Dawson and Lokie, their favorite entries in the past have been the cupcake competition, which is no longer available, and the team competition.

Termaat said her favorite entries were, “Fruit carvings – Such amazing pieces, but (I) really remember this elaborate bird in a cage.” Some of the winning or simply stand-out entries have been selected and photographed for a calendar, in the last competition, which got sent out to the FCS teachers at their home school.

Because the competition takes up an entire school day, there are some activities to keep the students up and at em while awaiting their turn to wow the judges. Some of the activities last year included classes or workshops held by chefs, culinary teachers, and current culinary students about basics on food prep and ingredients. They even got to sample some delicious chocolate in a class about the different types of chocolate, how it’s made, and foods you can prepare with it. Even Termaat said her favorite part about the conference, “Was getting to know other chefs at the conference. Real advice from real chefs.”

When the day has gone by and the last of the students have presented, it is time for the judges to choose the winners. Cole, referring to the competition said, “It was exciting and very suspenseful.” The team competition was ultimately won by Cole and his teammates.

Overall, the Culinary Conference, in Dawson’s words, was and is a, “Great experience for students interested in Culinary or Hospitality careers; another way to express artistic talents.”