The McNary High School Culinary Arts Department hosted the Rotary Club of Keizer for its weekly meeting on Thursday, April 11.
For the national competition, held April 26 – 28 in Baltimore Md., the McNary and Salem CTEC teams will be competing against the best teams across all 50 states including Puerto Rico and Washington D.C., with nearly 400 students in total competing.
Culinary instructor Wendy Bennet told the Rotarians about the program at McNary and the work put in by the students. Each semester more than 150 students take the class. While not all intend to pursue a career in cooking, some are excited about what they’ve learned. One male student proudly announced he could now make breakfast, including eggs.
For the Rotarians, the students prepared a pasta bar with a salad and a tiramisu dessert.
Bennet said that while the trip to Baltimore is paid for, there are other expenses they face. She said the program is seeking an additional $6,000 for the trip and other needs.
For those who wish to support the culinary program, donations can be made to the Culinary Arts Department: C/O Krista Vanslyke, 595 Chemawa Way, Keizer, OR 97303
Or
Anyone can stop at the high school main office and pay the bookkeeper (Krist Vanslyke) directly. They need to indicate the donation is for the culinary team.
