ProStart students show off their skills

March 8-10, Hot Springs County High School students in the ProStart program, along with teacher Becky Martinez, traveled to Little America at Cheyenne to compete in the state culinary competition.

Students Kristina Nading and Patience Moore made up the two-person team; though originally the third member, Veronica Rabara moved away a few weeks ago. Classmates Emily Anderson and Larissa Nading also planned to take on the baking part of the state competition and do some cake decorating, but a week before they opted out. However, Anderson became the alternate for the team, and Larissa was named team manager.

Alternates, Anderson explained, can check on the team's stations, and do taste tests and give feedback, but they don't do any of the actual cooking. However, in an emergency such as a cut or burn to a team member, the alternate can step in.

There's plenty of rules and regulations, Moore said, noting they have to have menus and recipes, as well as the list of items they plan to use, how many of each item they need and the cost per item.

Kristina explained during the three-day competition, the first day is for checking in food and making sure everything is in the proper temperature range, the second is for cooking and cleaning, and the third is for gathering up items and equipment.

The menu itself features an appetizer of homemade chips and chunky garden salsa, an entrée of tangy chicken tacos and a dessert of strawberry cheesecake bites.

The entire meal, going by menu pricing, would cost just under $19.

The chicken, Moore said, is cooked with a glaze that has Coca-Cola as one of its primary ingredients. The tacos are served with coleslaw that includes cabbage, apples, mint, onions and bacon among its ingredients.

Kristina said the chunky garden salsa is similar to a Pico de Gallo, but closer to a salsa consistency, with plenty of veggies.

The cheesecake bites are actually strawberries filled with vanilla cheesecake cream, and milk chocolate drizzled over the top of them. The team hit a bit of a snag, when it turned out a cream cheese was not at the right temperature the first day; they had to quickly get a new one, as they would've lost points otherwise.

The cooking process itself is a bit interesting, as competitors are not allowed to use anything electrical. This means any type of heat must come from a portable source. Food had to be prepped within a given timeframe, and plated at a certain time to make sure it was still hot for the judges.

Moore said the judges commented that the tacos were a bit spicy. An interesting opinion, as they were going for sweet, she said. Kristina noted the jalapeno used for the salsa was a bit hot.

Martinez said this year is the first in the past three or four the school has had a ProStart team. They started in January, giving the students just two months to prepare for competition. They agreed in those two months they learned plenty, and whether they take first and head to nationals in Dallas it's been a good experience.

Moore added the point of ProStart is to provide those interested in the culinary area some preparation for the future, from food preparation to the business aspects. She added many hirers prefer those with ProStart experience.