South Tech Wins Cooking Competition

Five students from in Sunset Hills won the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission’s 5th Annual High School Culinary Cook-Off, an event similar to The Food Network’s “Iron Chef” competition.

The students, William Green, Dylan Klein, Melanie Hopkins, Tyler Winters and Brian Stoverink competed against other teams from from Clyde C. Miller Career Academy, North County Technical and Normandy High School. The competition, hosted at St. Louis Community College - Forest Park, was held in an “Iron-chef” style, in which students had to create a three-course meal without knowing the ingredients beforehand. The students broke Clyde C. Miller’s two-year championship run.

The South Tech junior and senior students created a vinaigrette salad, a bruschetta tart for appetizer and pork roulade for the main plate. Melissa Grey, culinary teacher at South Tech, said the victory was possible because of the students’ real life experiences achieved while learning how to cook at South Tech.

“In different times of the year, we give them similar challenges and have various catering events where they learn to cook under pressure,” Grey said.

Grey said the students were awarded scholarships to continue their education at St. Louis Community College, while South Tech will get to display a shinning crystal cup until next year’s competition, which Grey said she hopes the students will win again. Grey invited those students interested in the culinary program at South Tech to approach the school.

“The great thing about what we do here is that we (teachers) come from the industry,” Grey said. “We give them the real-world expectations and training to make them successful.”

The St. Louis CVC held the competition in honor of National Tourism Week, which this year runs May 5-13. The National Tourism Week was established in 1983 by the U.S. Congress, and, according to a CVC press release, it is a “collective effort to promote the power of travel through customized events in communities nationwide and the goal is to enhance the country's economy, security and perception, and recognize the cultural and social benefits created by travel and tourism.”

"This event is not only an opportunity to celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week, but a stage for young St. Louis chefs to showcase their skills," said Donna Andrews, St. Louis CVC Director of Public Relations.