On Jan. 11, Becton’s Culinary teachers, Chef Damelio and Chef Perdomo, had students from their Culinary 2 and Prostart 2 classes participate in a “Chopped” competition in order to understand the importance of cooking meals on a budget!
The classes were taken on a trip to ShopRite with a $10 budget and had one hour to scout and purchase their ingredients. Upon paying, they made their way to Becton, where they spent the remainder of the day in the kitchen. To spice up the competition, there was also a mystery basket. With two hours left, there was a twist to include a dessert to complement their dishes. With a plethora of dessert indigents, students were encouraged to be as creative as possible. Finally, the food created by the students would be tasted by a panel of Becton staff. The panel consisted of Mrs. Diakos, Mrs Savincki, and Mrs. Eick, with special appearances from Dr. Sforza and Mrs. Colangelo.
The idea was based on the show “Chopped.” Chef D emphasizes, “I always wanted to have a cooking show competition but in the past, it just hasn’t worked out. I wanted this to be a fun activity but also a learning experience. I wanted to have a budget for the students so they could see how expensive food truly is, but I also liked that it forced them to be creative with very few ingredients.”
Junior Kiara Gonzalez shared her experience, “It was generally easy to manage my budget as most of the necessary ingredients were already in the kitchen. The dish that we made during this competition was pasta with buttery cheddar biscuits on the side, with a ball of chocolate-covered rice crispy treats for dessert. I came across the realization that working together can be a major advantage when it comes to group competitions. Overall, I enjoyed the trip and competition, and I would like to say thank you to the Chefs for making this experience possible.”
Similarly, Junior Francesa Buda weighed in by verifying, “Managing our budget wasn’t too big of a worry for me, considering we’re allowed to use ingredients already in the Culinary rooms and most of our necessities were there. We ended up making a simple pasta and chicken cutlet. My favorite part was getting to shop with my friends.”
Chef Perdomo shared his enthusiasm regarding the competition, “I was impressed with how well the students stayed within their budget. We even had a group speak to the butcher to repackage the meat in a smaller container so they could meet the budget requirements. The students proudly represented Becton as they went through the ShopRite aisles and even used in-store coupons to make it affordable. Other highlights include watching the students devise ways to use the mystery basket to create a dessert and I especially loved watching a group of Prostart 2 students flambe!”
For the future, Chef P shares his goals for this competition and final thoughts, “I hope to make this a bi-annual trip where we can see students shop and maintain their budget on the first trip, and then make the second one an in-school field trip all about the cooking experience with a mystery basket. Overall, it was special to see the students amazed that they were able to shop the store themselves, as well as watch them interact with each group to see what everyone was making within the specified budget. I am very proud of all the dishes that were presented and how the students carried themselves professionally the entire day.”
It is clear that Becton’s Culinary 2 and Prostart 2 students are talented as they were able to produce dishes under pressure and demonstrate the use of resources. Chef Damelio was also pleased with the results, and looks forward to future events with the Culinary classes, “Our students worked so hard and did such an amazing job! Chef P and I couldn’t be more proud!”
