C-CAP Student Cooking Competition at ICE

The two-hour challenge was part of Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), a program teaching high school students the skills they need for a career in the culinary industry. ICE President Rick Smilow is on the program’s board of directors. For the scholarship competition, the students were required to make a chicken dish and a crêpe dessert for a panel of esteemed chefs who carefully judged the students, watching their technique as they cooked and tasting the dishes afterward. The students were judged on their organization, cooking techniques, taste and presentation. The judges included ICE Chef Instructor Ted Siegel, South Gate Executive Chef Kerry Heffernan, Extra Virgin Chef Joey Fortunato and Mandarin Oriental Executive Chef Toni Robertson among others. New York Marriott Downtown Executive Chef Sani Hebaj told the students, “I did taste some restaurant-quality food today.”

ICE Student Tchnavia Carter, ICE President Rick Smilow and ICE Student Berenice Cabera

Among the attendees were current ICE students Tchnavia Carter and Berenice Cabera, who completed the C-CAP program in high school. They are only a few lessons away from graduating the ICE program before they start their professional careers in the culinary arts. Tchnavia Carter is headed on to Disney and Berenice Cabera will be working at Dos Caminos. Their success is a testament to all the hard work of the C-CAP team and teachers. The results from the competition will be announced on Friday, April 29 at a ceremony for all the winners. We can’t wait to see some of the students here at ICE in the very near future!