Rockdale Career Academy Students Compete Virtually in Culinary Arts STAR Event Team Competition
Culinary Arts Team

RESTON, VA – During the 2019-2020 school year, students from across the nation had their educational world turned upside down when COVID-19 closures occurred in March 2020. Ayana Moore, Serena Young and Johnathan Rankine from Rockdale Career Academy qualified in the spring of 2020 to compete in the national Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) Culinary Arts competition scheduled to be held in July, 2020 in Washington, D.C. When the in-person competition was eventually cancelled due to coronavirus restrictions, teams sprung into action to compete virtually through a process that culminated in December, 2020.

 

The Culinary Arts STAR Event is an event that recognizes participants enrolled in a Family and Consumer Sciences culinary arts industry training program for their ability to work as members of a team to produce a quality meal using industrial culinary arts/food service techniques and equipment. Teams of participants must develop a plan for the time allotted, prepare menu items based upon set recipes, and present their prepared items to evaluators. The national 2020 Culinary Arts competition consisted of each qualifying team submitting videos of themselves preparing, plating, and presenting various food products.

 

Culinary Arts is one of more than 30 Students Taking Action with Recognition (STAR) Events members can choose to compete in nationally. All STAR Events recognize participants who demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and abilities to actively identify an issue concerning families, careers, or communities, research the topic, and develop and implement a project to advocate for positive change. Additionally, STAR Events aim to support student development of knowledge and skills by enhancing the classroom experience and Career Pathway initiatives by equipping students with employable skills and industry insights needed to thrive in the 21st century.

 

“I found the process of preparing for the competition to be both challenging and rewarding. We were forced to prepare with extreme focus on a tight timeline. In the end, the focus led us to a level of precision and execution that allowed us to successfully overcome any fears or trepidation,” said Ayana Moore, senior at Rockdale Career Academy.

 

Ayana Moore, Serena Young and Johnathan Rankine from Rockdale Career Academy placed second nationally in the 2020 Culinary Arts STAR Event competition. FCCLA will host a virtual presentation in late January/early February to recognize members for their accomplishments and award scholarships to select students for their participation in the Culinary Arts STAR Event.

 

About FCCLA Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) is a dynamic and effective national student organization that helps young men and women become leaders and address important personal, family, work, and societal issues through Family and Consumer Sciences education. FCCLA has more than 182,000 members and 5,253 chapters from 48 state associations, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands