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Health & Fitness

Tech Culinary Students Heat It Up in Restaurant Competition

After preparing — and eating — a meal of spinach ravioli, pan-seared tuna and dark chocolate German cake more than 20 times in the past several months, Tech Center Culinary students took their creation on the road for the National Restaurant Association’s ProStart Competition. The students, from Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES, won second place in the competition held earlier this month at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park.

“They performed so well as a team,” said Tech teacher Chef Jenn Guiffre, “because of their hours of work.” The team included Nicholas Levins from Carmel; Gareth Gore from Haldane; and Marissa Mazzella, Marielle Martin, and Sophie Shiffman from Somers.

“We stayed late every day after class, preparing and eating the meal,” said Marielle. “It was a lot of work, and really time-consuming,” said Gareth. Marielle and Gareth will both attend the Culinary Institute of America in the fall.

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The Management Team from The Tech Center took third place in the ProStart competition. “They had to come up with their own plan for a restaurant, which they called Picnic Place. It is a really creative idea for a restaurant centered on picnicking, including indoor and outdoor picnic areas, a rooftop garden and a stage for entertainment,” said Guiffre.

The Management Team included Ryan Casey from Yorktown, Barbara DiPaterio from Walter Panas, Katie Copeland from Walter Panas and Donald Mostrando from Ossining.

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“There was a lot of paperwork involved in the management competition,” said Katie. Students had to submit full plans for the “restaurant” to “bankers” or judges. Katie will attend Johnson and Wales for sports entertainment and event management in the fall.


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