The first week of March Tartu VEC held annual skills competitions for students. This year students from 34 different fields competed amongst themselves for the „Maker of the Year“ title. As cooking and catering is one of the specialities with biggest number of students, over 300, the cooks’ students competed in two categories.
The younger students were tasked with making quiche pies. The students had to make up and write down a recipe and also prepare the pie according to their recipe.
The older group who are further along in their studies had a task of coming up with recipes for 3 different appetizers and also making the order for raw materials. Each student had to make and appetiser in each of the following categories: savoury, sweet and vegetarian. The competition was designed by the teachers so that it will contribute to the study restaurant recipe bank for the future. The students brought very interesting combinations to the plate including a birds nest (chicken fillet with vegetables in pastry), cucumber-trout roll with sprouts, goat cheese with sea buckthorn puree in buckwheat crust, beetroot hummus on rye bread. From sweet bites the interesting presentations included smoked apple-kama-nut mousse and coconut panna cotta with pumpkin salad.
The future chefs’ were evaluated by a jury of enterprise representatives including owners of catering companies. The local enterprises also sponsored the skills competition giving out prises to the best performing students.
This was the 13th consecutive skills competition in a row. The high level of appetisers produced and close cooperation with enterprises in the competition gives us confidence moving forward with CORE – Cooking for the Future project and planning the international competition as well as pop-up restaurant event for the next academic year.
Keio Kaarlõp, TKHK