Wando High School culinary students capture state competition

A team from Wando High School cooked its way to the top last week and claimed first place in the state culinary arts competition.

Led by teacher Julian Buckner, the team consisted of students Ally Jenkins, Mary Lassiter, Sam Parris, Gavin Perry and Jillian Reilly. They competed in the ninth annual Carolina’s ProStart Invitational in Myrtle Beach.

To vie for the Culinary Cup, teams of up to four students had 60 minutes to prepare two identical three-course gourmet meals using only two butane burners. They had no electricity and no running water.

Thirty-seven teams from 27 high schools in North and South Carolina participated in the event at the Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel. The winning teams took home medals, trophies and more than $2 million in scholarships.

Students from North Myrtle Beach High School won the restaurant management competition. Wando placed second. The Wando and North Myrtle Beach teams will represent South Carolina at the 2011 National ProStart Invitational in Overland Park, Kansas on April 29-May 1.

“It was exciting to witness the talent, dedication and passion these students displayed during this intense two-day competition,” said Tom Sponseller, president and CEO of the S.C. Hospitality Association. SCHA manages the ProStart program in South Carolina through its Tourism and Hospitality Education Foundation.