The Madison Central School Cooking Club finished out a great year with some friendly competition! The club split into two teams for a cooking contest styled after television favorite “Chopped”.
The contest was not only a test of cooking skills. It was also a significant test of problem solving and resourcefulness. Students were given two “Secret Ingredients” that they had to incorporate into their plates. These two ingredients, chicken and peanut butter, are ingredients that have been used together in dishes around the world but still present a challenge to combine properly. Teams were allowed to collect up to seven other ingredients for use from the Connected Community Schools Hub Pantry, and any available spices, before setting out to execute their plan.
When the dishes were complete, two brave judges agreed to taste the improvised culinary creations: Mrs. LeeAnn Cucci, and Mrs. Tracey Lewis. They judged the teams based on the following criteria:
- Appearance of the dish
- Adherence to the rules
- Team name
- Flavor
- Overall creativity
On the verdict of the judges, Team A was declared the winner. Team A included Lily Reichert, Megan Smith, Anthony Mancuso, Reagan Kitchen, and Emma Bergeron.
In the 2022-23 school year, the Cooking Club was part of a revamped set of after-school program offerings offered with assistance from the New York State Office of Mental Health’s Mental Health Support Grants for School Districts. The club was created for students in grades 7-12, and met on Wednesdays during the latter portion of the school year.
Announcements on next year’s after school programming will come in due course.
