GHS culinary team shines in state contest

Grafton High School’s culinary team turned in a top-five finish at the Department of Public Instruction’s Whipping Up Wellness state competition even though they don’t know exactly where it wound up since the team couldn’t participate in person due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

“The sad thing is we couldn’t compete,” family and consumer-science teacher Brenda Stielow said. “We know we were in the top five, which is a really good feeling and the team was excited, but we’ll never know if we could’ve been No. 1.

“It was good news and disappointing at the same time.”

Last year was the first time the school participated in the contest and took first place for a recipe for sweet potato lasagna rolls. 

This year’s team of junior Ava Govek and seniors Madeline Hillner, Gennevieve Kell, Leah McKelvey and Clare Pedersen — aka Team Rice Rice Baby — entered their harvest rice bowl recipe. 

“Rice dishes are very popular right now, and it is something that can go on a serving line in a school cafeteria,” Stielow said.

“You can also change the vegetables used in the rice bowl based on what’s available during the season.”

Stielow said two other teams in her advanced foods class entered in the contest with a lasagna soup and chipotle chicken crunch wrap recipes.

Recipes are judged on dish’s nutritional quality, use of culinary skills, potential use by school food service, presentation, student appeal, reproducibility, description and creativity.

“It’s a huge process to create the recipes. We would make it and then analyze it and say, ‘OK, this is too high in sodium. What can we do to knock down the sodium?’” Stielow said, noting it took four attempts to perfect the dish.

The team submitted its recipe on March 1 and learned that it placed in late April. Stielow notified the students through a virtual class meeting.

“They were so excited, and then they were so bummed because they couldn’t go compete,” she said.

The in-person contest was to be held next week at Madison Area Technical College. 

Govek was a member of last year’s winning team. Although she is not signed up for Stielow’s class next year, she intends to still compete in next year’s competition.

“She’s highly motivated, and I told her that I will back her on this for next year,” Stielow said.