Taste of Education 2024: Innovative Dishes from Student Chefs

March 17, 2024
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Students from Miami Springs Senior High took home awards at Taste of Education 2024
Students from Miami Springs Senior High took home awards at Taste of Education 2024

Savory duck confit cheesecake. Jackfruit salad. Miami-Dade students from high school and middle school culinary programs dazzled judges with their creations at the recent Taste of Education event at Hialeah Park.

At the 10th annual event, a fundraiser for The Education Fund, students prepare dishes for local judges in the categories of meat, seafood, vegetarian and dessert. They’re judged on presentation, sales pitch and the elements of the dish, including flavor and appearance.

Winners include:
Meat:  Miami Jackson Senior High for Savory duck confit cheesecake with caramelized onion jam. Runner-up: Miami Springs Senior High for sweet and spicy smoked baby back ribs.
Seafood: Miami Springs Senior High for escargot three ways. Runner-up: Miami Jackson Senior High: spicy lobster roll with forbidden rice.
Vegetarian: Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High for goi mit tron (young jackfruit salad). Runner-up: Henry Filer Middle School for spicy strawberry watermelon gazpacho.
Dessert: Miami Coral Park Senior High for pavlova. Runner-up West Miami Middle School for French macarons.
Best sales pitch: Redland Middle School. Runner-up Hialeah Gardens High School
Best visual presentation: Miami Springs Senior High School (winner and runner-up)
People’s Choice Award: Kinloch Park Middle School for French Dip with au jus. Runner-up: Hialeah Senior High for Latin triflea

Judges clockwise from top left: Paulette Bilsky-Phillips, Pat Mackin Gelber, Monty Trainer, Ivis Monzon
Judges Danny Serfer of Blue Collar and Mignonette and Pat Mackin
Culinary students ready to present their dishes
Photo 1: Judges, clockwise from top left: Paulette Bilsky-Phillips, Pat Mackin Gelber, Monty Trainer, Ivis Monzon
Photo 2: Judges Danny Serfer of Blue Collar and Mignonette and Pat Mackin
Photo 3: Culinary students get ready to present their dishes

The Education Fund programming includes food forests for schools.

Food forest display
Harvest from one of the food forests
Eddie Recinos, manager for the food forest program at The Education Fund
Photo 1: Food forest display
Photo 2: Harvest from one of the food forests
Photo 3: Eddie Recinos, manager for the food forest program at The Education Fund

Some of the students' dishes

Spicy strawberry watermelon gazpacho
Students prepare goi mit tron for judges
Crispy tofu with plantains and pikliz
Photo 1: Spicy strawberry watermelon gazpacho
Photo 2: Students prepare goi mit tron for judges
Photo 3: Crispy tofu with plantains and pikliz

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