Two teams of Sagamore students recently competed in the Jr. Iron Chef Competition at Whole Foods Market in Lake Grove.
There were 12 teams from across Suffolk County cooking a breakfast using five ingredients. Two were items from their school cafeteria and one a local ingredient. One major criteria was whether the breakfast is ready to be served in a school cafeteria.
Ms. Lindsey Shelhorse, Sagamore’s Family and Consumer Science teacher, created the teams and trained them for a great performance.
This is Ms. Shelhorse’s fourth year bringing middle school student teams to the Jr. Iron Chef Competition, and her first at Sagamore.
“It was not easy to select a team with so many good students. Selection is based on performance in class, and that’s the hard part,” Shelhorse said. “Sometimes it’s a matter of being in the right place at the right time.”
Many of the students in the teams have high goals in the food service industry, and this event is a stepping stone in the right direction.
“My dream is to open my own bakery, and until my dream comes true, I am thankful for any opportunities like this,” said student Meghan Dittmar.
“I must say this is such an amazing experience,” added Nina Matusiak. “I feel like I’m on a real Master Chef team and it’s even better to have a team full of wonderful people.”
Ashley Nash spoke of the experience, “I’m very excited to be competing in Jr. Iron Chef. My team has been facing some challenges, but we are ready to go! I think this is a great idea because it brings different people together for the same purpose of cooking. I can’t wait.”
-Submitted by Sagamore teacher Elizabeth Gennosa