Philly area high schoolers pick up their knives to compete for culinary school scholarships

In recent years, cooking competitions have saturated television, pitting everyone from children to grandmothers against each other for a chance to win a pot of money and 15 minutes of fame. But that shouldn’t diminish a contest for an actual good cause: Careers through Culinary Arts Programs’ annual Cooking Competition for Scholarships, a high-stakes event for high school students aspiring to work as culinary professionals.

The 31-year-old C-CAP competition awards several prizes, including half- and full-tuition scholarships to Johnson & Wales, the Culinary Institute of America, and New York’s Culinary Institute at Monroe College. On Tuesday, 10 Philly-area competitors fired up their stoves together at Drexel University — the first time did so in person for over a year.

“We have five seniors competing this year, so we’re hoping to be able to award at least two or three of the national scholarships,” said Alyssa Termini, program director of C-CAP Philadelphia. The rest are still eligible for scholarships of at least $1,000 that can go toward tuition, fees, knife sets, housing, and meal plans, among other college expenses. (Juniors, meanwhile, compete for spots in culinary boot camp.)

This year’s competitors included juniors and seniors from Swenson Arts and Technology in the Northeast, Mercy Career and Technical in North Philly, Benjamin Franklin in Spring Garden, Simon Gratz Mastery and A. Philip Randolph Career and Technical in Nicetown, Delaware County Technical in Folcroft, and Western Montgomery Career and Technology Center in Royersford.

In a typical year, there’s a preliminary contest where competitors are judged on their ability to make salads, omelets, and knife cuts; winners move on to a final round, in which they make hunter’s chicken with tourné potatoes (a classic French preparation) and crepes with pastry cream and chocolate sauce. This year, to minimize time and exposure, there is only one round of competition, consisting of the omelets, potatoes, and knife cuts.

This year, the judges — C-CAP Philly alum Jules Odum, a sous chef with the Bynum brothers’ restaurant group; Clara Park, head of C-CAP’s chef council and former head chef at SouthGate; and Drexel chef-instructor Rich Pepino — won’t taste the final products. Instead, they’re scoring students on presentation, organization, speed, sanitation, and “workforce readiness.”

The finalists from the competition still have hurdles to clear: “The biggest scholarship that can be awarded is worth $130,000, so we want to make sure that kids who want it are serious,” Termini said. The students will reinterview with Termini and other staffers, complete a secondary application, and attend a financial aid workshop and a College 101 workshop before prizes are awarded on April 16.

“We really prepare them as much as we possibly can to go off to school,” Termini said.

C-CAP Philly works with 17 high schools that offer a culinary curriculum to supplement students’ education with workshops, field trips, mentorship opportunities, and job training. It also has outposts in New York City, Los Angeles, Arizona, Chicago, and Washington. Alums include Top Chef competitors Amar Santana, Brother Luck, and Philly’s own Sylva Senat, executive chef at the Pyramid Club.

The scholarships are partially funded by the culinary schools, but C-CAP is raising the last bit ($3,000 out of $15,000) for a Philly-based scholarship. You can support it by donating to the Philadelphia Scholarship Drive online. Or stop by Essen Bakery, High Street Philly, Mighty Bread Co., or Weckerly’s Ice Cream this weekend and buy the following: tehina pistachio danish at Essen; coconut-tahini pudding at High Street; tahini-chocolate blondies at Mighty Bread; and toasted-bun ice cream with a tahini-fudge swirl sandwiched between tahini cookies at Weckerly’s. Proceeds from the treats will go to the scholarship fund.