When we were kids we would jokingly say that the weather would be “Chili today, Hot tamale,” and laugh as if we’d just crafted the finest joke in the history of man. Well, it was certainly no joke back on Friday when the Lake Michigan Hospitality & Culinary team pulled off an amazing 9th Annual Chili Cook-Off at the Mendel Center’s Grand Upton Hall. In fact, 57 high school students from across the region stepped up to the plate and hit some grand slams for chili lovers.
It was the team of the Big Bean Theory, of Kalamazoo RESA’s Culinary Arts Program, that emerged from the fray with first place honors. According to Cook-Off Judge and LMC Chef Instructor Luis Amado, the winning team’s chili had the right texture, wasn’t too spicy and had good use of flavorings and herbs, saying: “This team nailed it.”
Culinary Instructor Kharen Shelton brought Big Bean Theory to the event, as well as seven other teams, and has been to nearly every one of the past cook-offs. She says the event “gives students a chance to work under pressure, meet students from other schools and to have fun while they’re working. And that’s what career tech is all about – finding a career that you have fun with, that you love.”
The students had one hour and used portable butane burners to prepare their original chili and cornbread recipes from scratch. The dishes were evaluated by a panel of judges including Amado; Shawn Johnson, LMC Hospitality and Culinary student; Christine Anderson and Alice Archer-Snow of LMC Conference and Events Services; and David Barrett, LMC instructor.
Besides Kalamazoo RESA, the other teams competing came from Benton Harbor High School, St. Joseph High School and, attending for the first time this year, Dowagiac Union High School.
Instructor Andy Kruger has been teaching healthy lifestyles and other electives at Dowagiac for eighteen years and started the culinary arts program there just this year. The students in his culinary class of thirty competed in their own chili cook-off to choose the team who would go to LMC. The winners made team member Zech Huston’s grandfather’s chili recipe and added in wild mushrooms picked by team member Gavin Luthringer and his father, coming up with Big Bill’s Wild Mushroom Chili.
Kruger doesn’t have a culinary background and says he was a little apprehensive about teaching it, saying: “I never would have imagined it, but this is my favorite class now.” He says there is a waiting list for the program, and he hopes to bring more than one team to the LMC Cook-Off next year, when the students will be able to take advantage of a brand new kitchen being built for the class.
Lake Michigan College created the event to give high school students a taste of what a hospitality career might entail. Students learn time management, teamwork, professionalism, and exercise their creativity while meeting other students from around the region. Some of the other chilis entered included White Chicken Chili (Hot Chili Peppers of Benton Harbor), Chorizo Chipotle Chili (Spicy Boiz of Kalamazoo RESA), and Chicken Enchilada Chili (The Two Amigos of Kalamazoo RESA).
Here are the Chili Winners from Friday:
1st Place
Big Bean Theory, Kalamazoo RESA, teacher Kharen Shelton
Team members: Amanda Wright, Sydney Diebold, Gavin Bartlett, Rachel Ball
2nd Place
Netflix and Chili, St. Joseph High School, teacher Lauri Berry
Team members: Daniel Okonski, Ali Koehler, Logan Borah, Gio Tiriticco
3rd Place
Sleighers, Kalamazoo RESA, teacher Kharen Shelton
Team members: Kenzie Hollenbeck, London Parks, Mariah Henion, Carly Palumbo
4th Place
The Breakfast Club, St. Joseph High School, teacher Lauri Berry
Team members: McKay Barfuss, Thomas Chen, Yanna Callonnec, Kyle Reck
5th Place
Hot Chili Peppers, Kalamazoo RESA, teacher Kharen Shelton
Team members: Megan Lawrence, J’Cashion Gilland, Lindsey Bennett
These were the Tablescape competition winners:
1st Place
The Good Lookin’ Cookin’s, St. Joseph High School, teacher Lauri Berry
Team members: Ariel Higgins, Tina Nguyen, Anna Wilson
2nd Place
Hot Chili Peppers, Benton Harbor High School, teacher Gennifer Gunter
Team members: Shawnquay Woodard, Destiny Jordan, Z’nayjah Johnson, Tia Lewis
3rd Place
Big Bill’s Chili, Dowagiac Schools, teacher Andy Kruger
Team members: Zech Huston, Daniel Rosales, Lindsey Bogen, Gavin Luthringer
4th Place
Selfie Queens, St. Joseph High School, teacher Lauri Berry
Team members: Caleb McIntosh, Aaron Callejas, Don Ho, Spencer Blackmond
5th Place
The Two Amigos, Kalamazoo RESA, teacher Kharen Shelton
Team members: Allison Otis, T’Yonne Caper
These were the Portfolio Winners from the Chili Cook-Off event:
1st, Elivia Moss, St. Joseph High School, teacher Lauri Berry
2nd, Thomas Chen, St. Joseph High School, teacher Lauri Berry
3rd, Kaitlyn Yack, St. Joseph High School, teacher Lauri Berry
4th, Jenna Heckathorn, St. Joseph High School, teacher Lauri Berry
5th, Sidney Briney, St. Joseph High School, teacher Lauri Berry
Lake Michigan College has been successfully preparing students for careers in the hospitality industry since 1976. Graduates of our hospitality, tourism and casino management programs can be found applying their skills in quality restaurants, hotels, wineries, and gaming establishments throughout the country.
In 2013 LMC developed the Culinary Management program to meet the overwhelming need for trained chefs, kitchen managers, and other related food service workers. The Culinary Management program is vital to the growth and development of Michigan’s hospitality, tourism, and wine industries. In order for LMC to meet the culinary education needs of our region, students must be able to gain learning experience in a professional environment designed and equipped with the latest commercial kitchen technology.
More information about Hospitality and Culinary Management at Lake Michigan College can be found at lakemichigancollege.edu/hospitality-culinary.
