It was unanimous! We have a new First Place Orcas Home Brewer who is now the proud owner of a coveted number one Crow Valley Pottery trophy plate made specifically by Crow Valley every year for the competition!
A group of eight people from Whidbey Island piled into their cars at the crack of dawn to catch the 7:35 a.m. ferry from Anacortes to Orcas Island on Oct. 28 to meet with Kyle Freeman, Madie Murray, Mandy Randolph, Kathy Page and Barbara Kline to learn about our Farm to Cafeteria Program.
From the time our first contestants arrived, set up and presented their amazing dishes, to the anxious and excruciating determination of the winners for both the K-6 and 7-12 groups, the Fourth Annual Student Chef Competition proved again to be an event containing all of the elements: love of cooking, competing, sportsmanship, sharing, appreciating, and an extraordinary pride for our Island youth.
If you haven’t driven by the public school lately, you haven’t seen the magic Ezra Richardson created with a backhoe and bobcat just before Thanksgiving.
What took us four days last year, we accomplished in just two days this year.
“Party Birds by the Sea” created by Mathew Chasanoff’s kindergarten students for the Food for Thought Benefit this Saturday night is a perfect example. Orcas jewelry designer and artist Michele deLong generously gave her time to work side by side with the kids for many hours to imagine and create this delightful masterpiece.
On Thursday, May 17, our island “Celebrity Chef” and author Christina Orchid, will be our school’s celebrity chef, working with the cafeteria staff to prepare and serve garlic-smoked paprika chicken, corn pudding and rhubarb crumble for dessert as only Christina can make! Ciabatta Bread, prepared by the cafeteria staff will also be on the menu. YUM! Are we lucky or what?!
“Every entree presented for judging by students ranging in ages from five to 15 at the Third Annual Orcas Island School District Student Chef Competition, was suitable to serve at a first class restaurant,” and those very words were uttered by our own first class chef and one of five on the judging panel, Christina Orchid, during the competition.
On Saturday, March 3 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., anyone with a willing back and desire to help our school garden grow is invited to come!
The Farm to Cafeteria Program has made some fun changes in this year’s third annual Student Chef competition on March 31.
The biggest change is that the afternoon competition for Middle School and High School students will consist of teams: one student and one OISD teacher, administrator or employee (excluding cafeteria kitchen staff.)
Barbara Wheeler had four plum trees – two golden and two red – heavily laden with ripe organically grown plums. She put a call out to a friend who passed the information along to the Farm to Cafeteria Committee, and a small band of volunteers arrived last week to swiftly relieve the trees of their succulent burden and deliver them to the public school cafeteria.
Robert Egger, Founder and President of DC Central Kitchen, is an approachable, engaging and provoking man who was impressed with what are doing here on Orcas in the way of making food and philanthropy benefit our island.
Ten outstanding students prepared and presented innovative and original recipes for judging at the second annual Student Chef Competition on Feb. 12.
To enter the contest, each student had to submit an entry recipe along with a photo of the finished fare, a testimony to how seriously they take their love for cooking.
