CVCA students chefs serve winning dish, headed to nationals

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The team of student chefs from Chicago Vocational Career Academy high school (from left: Ciara Lawton, Sheanice Dishmon and Kaliah Hunter. Second row, from left: Chef David Blackmon, Diamonte Baugh, Tytionna Rice and Jerome Sims) served their winning healthy meal Thursday to friends, family and other supporters during a special luncheon honoring the team. Over 50,000 students at other schools were served the meal as well. Team CVCA won this school year's local Healthy Schools Campaign's Cooking up Change competition and is headed to Washington, D.C. in May to compete nationally.
The team of student chefs from Chicago Vocational Career Academy high school (from left: Ciara Lawton, Sheanice Dishmon and Kaliah Hunter. Second row, from left: Chef David Blackmon, Diamonte Baugh, Tytionna Rice and Jerome Sims) served their winning healthy meal Thursday to friends, family and other supporters during a special luncheon honoring the team. Over 50,000 students at other schools were served the meal as well. Team CVCA won this school year's local Healthy Schools Campaign's Cooking up Change competition and is headed to Washington, D.C. in May to compete nationally.

The competition in the Cooking up Change contest was fierce, but the culinary team at Chicago Vocational Career Academy high school served up a local win and is now looking forward to shaking and baking their way to a national victory.

A crowd of family, community supporters and others, along with thousands of high school students around the city got a chance Thursday to taste why last fall, the cooking team of student chefs Diamonte Baugh, Sheanice Dishmon, Ciara Lawton, Kaliah Hunter, Tytionna Rice and Jerome Sims won the Healthy Schools Campaigns Cooking up Change contest.

As their winning meal of sweet potato salad, oven-fried chicken and cousins collard greens and cabbage was served in the CVCA restaurant during a special ceremony honoring the team, students were enjoying the meal in cafeterias at other schools.

In this school years contest, 12 teams of high school student chefs were charged with the task of coming up with a meal that was health-conscious, cost-effective and delish. On the healthy side of things, the dish could only have so much saturated fat and salt; and the use of green and orange veggies was a must.

After four tweaks of their recipes, CVCA had the meal down pat, won the competition and will compete in Washington D.C. at the U.S. Department of Education in May. The student chefs seemed to have surpassed the taste-good requirement too, as evidenced by happy diners, who left only meat-less bones and soiled napkins on their trays.

You guys just knocked it out of the park, said the teams mentor and owner of OON Chicago restaurant, Chef Matt Eversman.

In their individual remarks Thursday, the students talked about the impact that the contest and the culinary program had on them, and most of it didnt have a lot to do with food.

One thing I learned was team work, said Sims, a 16-year-old CVCA junior. Now I want to take my new skill to nationals and we can win there.

Hunter, 17, who will graduate in May, said being on the team takes a lot of hard work and dedication. She got involved in the culinary arts program on a fluke but hardly regrets the decision.

I was hungry when I picked my major. But in the end I love it, she told the Chicago Citizen after the lunch event. This program keeps you on the right track. It keeps me very limited, staying out of trouble.

The head of Chicago Public Schools culinary arts program also paid compliments to the students, boasted about the program and its benefits to the students and urged support.

The partnership with the Healthy Schools Campaign gives students the opportunity to exercise what they learn in the kitchen, said Chef Dave Blackmon, CPS culinary arts program coordinator. He added that students in the program are certified in food services and have collectively obtained some $750,000 in scholarships to go on to culinary school.

A total of 19 public schools offer the culinary arts program where they work in a hands-on environment, in real life-like industrial style kitchens and with tools of the trade,Blackmon explained.

By Rhonda Gillespie

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