The NAIT Culinary Team hit Ernest’s kitchen bright and early this past Saturday in preparation for the NAIT Culinary Luncheon.
The team held the event to prepare for the IKA 2020 World Culinary Olympics in February. NAIT replicated the competition’s rules and kitchen set-up to allow the students to have a better grasp of what can be expected in a few months’ time.
The team will be competing in the Community Catering category. Therefore, guests lined up with lunch trays and made their way through the kitchen. Their meals included two finger foods, a salad, a dessert, and a choice of either the salmon, beef, or vegetarian main dish.
“You know what, the students have worked so hard. The menu was developed by the students, and it’s been tweaked, and we keep re-tweaking it, and we’ll keep re-tweaking it up right until the last minute,” Clayton Folkers, a NAIT Baking and Pastry Instructor, said.
The chefs had five hours to prepare the 120 meals.
The process of joining the team was not an easy one. Applicants first wrote an essay about their heritage and how it influenced the food in their lives. Successful applicants then formed groups of three, and asked to come up with and prepare a dish. The teams that performed well at this challenge were asked to join the team.
While there were ten students present during Saturday’s event, there are more team members than there are spots. Some members have taken on the “Community Core” role. These chefs reach out to the Edmonton community and cater to schools and senior centres. Since the team will be competing in the Community Catering category, they believe it is important to give back to their local community.
“I think the real genuine purpose of food is to be enjoyed and shared, and that’s what brings me the most happiness around food, that’s why I do this, is because bringing people together and just seeing smiles on people’s faces makes my day,” Felicia Perry, a member of the Culinary Team, said.
While a few minor issues arose, the day was an overall success. The World Culinary Olympics begins February 10 in Stuttgart, Germany. The team will host two more luncheons on the following days:
- Saturday, January 18
- Saturday, February 1
