Orange County's Newport Harbor to defend culinary title at Boyds Coffee Culinary Cup

(SACRAMENTO, Feb. 28, 2010) - Newport Harbor High School will send two teams to Sacramento March 6 and 7 to compete in the eighth annual California ProStart Culinary Cup Competition, hosted by the California Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. The culinary team will defend the school's title as victors in the 2010 competition. Seven juniors and seniors enrolled in the school's ROP Culinary Arts program will compete in the culinary and management competitions against teams from across the state at Le Cordon Bleu, 2450 Del Paso Road in Sacramento.

Participating students include Gabriela Gomez, Jessenia Hernandez, Eduardo Medina, Edgardo Meza, Kasey Hyde, Irene Martinez and Vivian Schneider.

Instructor Janet Dukes enlisted help with mentorships from Jason Labahn, chef instructor at Le Cordon Bleu College in Las Vegas, Nev.; baking and pastry chef Emeliano Nino; and architect John Hill of Costa Mesa's Robinson Hill Architecture. Newport Harbor is the only competing school to have a professional architect serving as a mentor to prepare the team for the restaurant design portion of the management event.

"It took weeks to find someone with the expertise and willingness to volunteer for the project," Dukes said. "John has been so incredible, and it has been such a wonderful experience for the students to work with him. I'm incredibly proud of how much they've put their heart into the competition."

The two-day Boyds Culinary Cup is divided into two competitions, separately focusing on culinary and management skills. Events are scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 6 and from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 7. Culinary competition contestants have just 60 minutes to prepare a three-course meal, with points awarded on specific criteria, such as proper cooking procedures, safety and sanitation, presentation, product taste and teamwork.

"We are so thrilled to see a school of Newport Harbor come back to defend their title in the culinary event," CRAEF Executive Director Alycia Harshfield said. "Both competitions are thrilling events with participants engaging in battles of skill and knowledge. The students truly get the chance to show off the hard work they've done in the classroom with industry veterans judging their final product."

Winning teams will be sponsored to compete in the 2010 National ProStart Invitational in Overland Park, Kansas April 30 through May 2. First-, second- and third-place teams also qualify for scholarships to various culinary and hospitality post-secondary programs.

About the California Restaurant Association Educational Foundation: CRAEF has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships and grants since its inception in 1981. CRAEF works to enhance education and training programs within the hospitality industry. ProStart is a two-year program designed to prepare high school juniors and seniors for exciting careers in foodservice.