Bringing Home the Gold: OSTC-SE Culinary Students Shine at Regional Competitions

Students in the OSTC Southeast Culinary Arts program earned multiple honors at regional competitions in February, continuing a strong season of achievement.

On Friday, Feb. 6, at Fraser High School, Javonne Newton placed second, and Ajani McCoullough earned third in the SkillsUSA 2E Regional T-Shirt Design competition. Both designs reflected the theme “Champion the Future.”

On Saturday, Feb. 14, Oakland Community College’s Culinary Institute in Royal Oak hosted the SkillsUSA 2E Regional Hospitality competitions. Kendall Hill placed second in Baking and Pastries. In Restaurant Service, Danny Donnellon earned gold, Sarah Alexander earned silver, and Kai Moncrief-Hayes earned bronze.

In the Culinary Arts regional contest, Damea Henderson earned gold, Dinah Solomon earned silver, and Lewis Connor earned bronze. Students competing at OCC also received $1,000 scholarships for gold medalists, $750 for silver medalists, and $500 for bronze medalists.

The campus’s after-school Culinary Club has provided additional practice time to help students prepare for SkillsUSA and ProStart competitions. Parents supported the effort by attending Monday and Wednesday evening practices and regional events.

“I knew it was going to be challenging, but I stuck to my game plan,” Henderson said.

Culinary instructors Chefs Jordan, Toliver, Parks, and Bartlett will now prepare students for the SkillsUSA State Conference in April. Additional contests will include Prepared Speech and Job Skills Demonstration featuring pasta-making techniques.