Using their culinary skills and creativity, five high school teams prepared their best dishes to impress the judges at The Culinary Arts Institute of Montgomery County Community College’s cooking competition.

The teams from North Montco Technical Career Center in Lansdale were Blake Dierkes and Joe Logan and Lindsey Rinehart and Amanda Schiaffino. The teams from the Eastern Center for the Arts & Technology in Willow Grove were Sam Meehan and Teraina Lawson and Marcus Soucy and Amy Zou. The team from the Western Center for Technical Studies in Royersford was Sam Shelton and Logan Hartman.

The students were required to prepare a salad, soup and an entrée using chicken within the three-hour time limit. They were judged on creativity, presentation, taste, sanitation and safe cooking practices.

The winning teams were Lindsey Rinehart and Amanda Schiaffino (first place) and Blake Dierkes and Joe Logan (second place). They will compete in the final round at CAI’s open house on Saturday, April 6, 10 a.m. to noon. The winning team will receive a $1,200 scholarship ($600 for each student) for books and supplies and knife kits.

The judging panel included Nica Bellenger from Well Crafted Beer Company, Alyssa Termini for C-CAP (Careers through Culinary Arts Programs), David Lademann from Arbour Square, Anthony Sullivan from Zoe’s Kitchen and Chef David Hannah from Manna on Main Street.

“Overall, the dishes were impressive, and the flavors and presentations were top notch,” Bellenger said.

“I saw great team work and each student moved with purpose to accomplish their dishes,” Termini said. “You’re setting yourselves up to be chefs one day.”

“The teams all did well, and there was only a five-point span between first and fourth places,” said Chef Ben Vozzo, CAI culinary resource specialist. “This event is an opportunity to showcase our partner schools and their students while introducing them to the Culinary Arts Institute and all that we have to offer for the next step in their culinary education.”

During the open house, visitors will have the opportunity to tour the kitchens and classrooms while learning about Culinary Arts, Baking and Pastry Arts and Hospitality programs, as well as Culinary Enthusiast classes and other non-credit offerings. MCCC faculty and staff will be on hand to answer questions about the admissions process, financial aid, and scholarships, among other topics.