LRCC hosts first Big Crab Cook-Off competition for high school culinary students

LACONIA — Students from culinary programs at eight New Hampshire high schools filled the Culinary Arts kitchen at Lakes Region Community College on Oct. 28 to compete for top honors in the inaugural Big Crab Cook-Off Competition.

A partnership between Heron Point Seafood, the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association Education Foundation and LRCC, the competition was created to showcase skills and foster culinary creativity in a fun way. Despite stiff competition, Plymouth Regional High School cooked the competition, finishing in first place and was awarded a combined $4,500 allocated between the school and team members.

The event showcased both the culinary talents of state high school students and the state-of-the-art culinary facilities at LRCC.

“We were happy to host the event and have the opportunity to show our new kitchen facilities to potential LRCC students from all over New Hampshire,” said Chef William Walsh, a professor in the LRCC Culinary Arts program.

As the official sponsor of the Big Crab Cook-Off, Heron Point donated fresh crab for both practice and competition. Rick Spalding, vice president of sales and marketing at Heron Point Seafood, said that crab was selected to provide an opportunity for students to explore an unfamiliar protein.

“Crab is not heavily utilized in this neck of the woods. These students probably know crab cakes, but we want to challenge them. What else can you do with it?” he said.

Students rose to the challenge to demonstrate their culinary skills. During the 45-minute competition, they prepared, cooked and plated dishes before a panel of judges including Chef Derek Bissonette and Tom Weir of Heron Point Seafood; Joe Linnehan, COO of Tinios Hospitality Group and a New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association board member; and Bryce Haines, a current LRCC student, former ProStart competitor, and proud recipient of the Heron Point Seafood Scholarship.

Teams of two to three students from Concord Regional Technical Center in Concord; Dover Regional Career Technical Center; Mount Washington Valley Career & Technical Center in North Conway; North Point Career Technical Education in Colebrook; Pinkerton Academy in Derry; Plymouth Regional High School in Plymouth; Portsmouth High School in Portsmouth; and White Mountains Regional High School in Whitefield participated.

Each team was charged with creating a well-executed appetizer or entrée dish following a strict list of permitted ingredients and preparation requirements. Judging was based on four categories: taste and flavor, knife skills and technique, creativity and plating, and presentation.

The winners included:

• First Place – Plymouth Regional High School: Sophie Kelsey and Alivia Menth prepared crab salad and mango salsa. The school received $3,500 and the students received $500 each.

• Second Place – MWV Career Technical Center: Nirvana Clough and William Como prepared coastal crab fusion. The school received $1,500 and students received $200 each.

• Third Place – Pinkerton Academy: Layla Brown, Megan Gelinas, and Kiley Hewey prepared crab and mango tower. The school received $1,000 and the students each received a Dexter knife set.

For more information, visit LRCC.edu.