Culinary students cook up gold
Jenna Schmidt, Reagan Hawes, Kory Davis, Layla Hill earn top honors at FCCLA
The Kokomo Area Career Center had a flavorful year, thanks to some budding chefs who earned top honors in the annual Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) culinary competition.
Sophomore Jenna Schmitt qualified for the FCCLA Nationals by earning a gold medal in the State Finals at the 2022 Indiana State ProStart Leadership Conference in the Baking and Pastry category, while KHS students Reagan Hawes, Kory Davis, and Layla Hill took home gold as a team in the FCCLA Culinary category.
Schmitt, a third-year KACC Culinary student, placed second in competition, which earned her a berth in the FCCLA Nationals to be held June 29-July 3 in San Diego. She also was awarded potential post -secondary scholarships for $6,000 to Sullivan University in Louisville, KY, and $1,500 to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY.
During the competition, Schmitt was given two hours and 45 minutes to create snickerdoodle cookies, biscuits, and Paris-Brest from a provided recipe, while also decorating a two-layer cake. She was judged on skill, technique, and consistency, as well as the products’ appearance, taste, and texture.
“Jenna has a passion and dedication for baking,” said KACC Culinary Arts Instructor Kaly Griggs. “Although Jenna was extremely nervous, I knew she could do well in Baking and Pastry because she is highly skilled and detail-oriented; and Jenna knocked it out of the ballpark. I am beyond proud of Jenna’s accomplishments, and I am looking forward to Nationals. I cannot wait to visit Jenna’s bakery someday.”
In the FCCLA Culinary competition, the KACC team that included Hawes, Davis, and Hill was tasked with developing its own menu, which consisted of an appetizer, an entree’, and a dessert. The team chose to prepare Turkish cigar pastries with a chile lime sauce as the appetizer and mushroom-stuffed manti with garlic-seared lamb chops for the main course. They finished with rice pudding with a berry compote and pistachio granola.
The team was given one hour to create two plates of each dish, while using two butane burners and no electric equipment. The KACC team also won the “Best Dessert Award.”
“I am very proud of Reagan, Kory, and Layla for earning a gold medal and the Best Dessert Award,” said Griggs. “Each KACC team member possessed a unique skill set and personality, but when you mixed them together, they were a gold-medal team!”
The culinary students were recognized by the Kokomo School board on May 2 and were given medals and a resolution commemorating their accomplishments.