May 2017 Chamber Chatter May 2017 Chamber Chatter | Page 13

EVENT SPOTLIGHT
Culinary students ‘Dish It Out’ for scholarship
T
he Strand Theatre was packed
full of spectators and the
smell of Asian, Caribbean and
scrumptious sweets filled the air. Who
would walk away with the 2nd Annual
Taste of Shelby County Culinary Arts
Scholarship?
If you weren’t in the audience on
April 14th, you missed a great evening
of culinary art students at their finest.
Four students came prepared to show the
judges their cooking prowess. Megan
Carter, Alton Danz, Gabriela Jones and
A.J. Roche qualified for the Dish It Out
Culinary Arts Competition. The students
were given an hour to prepare two dishes
and present their culinary delights to
the judges. Liz Biro, Food and Beverage
Critic for the Indy Star, was the Master
of Ceremonies. Liz did a superb job of
mingling with the audience members and
the contestants throughout the event,
posing questions and giving feedback.
Judges for the event were Ricca Macklin,
Owner and Chef at Your Box Catering,
Brian Mendenhall, Executive Chef at
Sullivan University in Louisville, Kentucky
and Greg Pence, Associate Chef at
Indiana Grand Racing and Casino. They
had a tough job, as the culinary students
prepared several scrumptious dishes for
the judges to taste. “The students did an
exemplary job at preparing their themed
chamberchatter
dishes,” said Chef Mendenhall. It took
the judges a bit of time to come to a
consensus on the placements. “All of the
students were creative and experimented
with their ingredients. They also followed
protocol for safety and sanitation, which
is vitally important in today’s kitchens,”
said Chef Pence.
Liz Biro was exceptionally impressed
with the techniques and creativity, and
took a liking to A.J., who would not
divulge his dish or the theme until
half-way through the contest. “These
students are the future of the culinary
scene in Central Indiana, and Shelby
County Tourism has found a creative
and innovative way to ensure Culinary
Arts remain a vital educational process
for students with a passion for food
preparation. There is
not another type of
competition like this
done anywhere in Central
Indiana, so I was pleased
to be able to assist with the
event,” said Biro.
The Strand Theatre
hosted the event for its
second year, and Bishopp
Appliances helped by
donating appliances for the
evening. Wildflour Artisan
Bakery had a full menu of samples, as
did Your Box Catering. Attendees were
treated to several local delicacies prepared
by Lori Pike and Ricca Macklin. Ricca
had two hats to wear during the evening,
as food presenter and judge. “I found it
an honor to be a judge, and the beautifully
presented dishes posed a challenge to all
of us judges. We had a tough job,” said
Chef Macklin .
In the end, A.J. Roche was awarded
the 2nd Annual Dish It Out Scholarship
worth $3,000. “We set up the
scholarship to award $2,000 for the first
May 2017
years and $1,000 for the second year.
It is vitally important to support the
culinary arts and this is a tremendous
way to do so. We work in unison with
Blue River Career Programs, Steve Shaw
and Chef Traub, to present a live cooking
show, giving these students a stage to
Shelby County
Tourism & Visitor’s
Bureau
501 North Harrison
Street
Shelbyville, IN 46176
[phone]
show off their abilities. Shelby County
Tourism and Visitors’ Bureau and the
Taste of Shelby County vendors are
committed to maintaining this scholarship
fund,” said Rachael Ackley, Executive
Director of Shelby County Tourism.
“The Taste of Shelby County was
developed to help support the scholarship
fund, so our vendors deserve a big thank
you for coming back each year and giving
back a portion of their sales to the fund.
Shelby County Tourism sponsors the
event, and ensures a successful evening by
funding the overall event.” said Ackley.
Second place was awarded to Alton
Danz, third to Gabby Jones and fourth to
Megan Carter. They earned $300, $200
and $100 respectively for their hard work
and preparations.
This year’s Taste of Shelby County is on
June 2 and as part of being the winner of
the event, A.J. Roche will have a tent and
present his winning recipes for everyone
to sample. Tickets are available at The
Porter Visitors’ Center, and will be on sale
the evening of the event.
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