PECI Iron Chefs bronze medalists in 2011 competition

Four Prince Edward Collegiate Institute students will defend the high school’s golden position as they participate in Loyalist College’s 10th Annual Junior Iron Chef Competition Saturday.
PECI has participated in the competition seven times over the past 10 years, winning the gold five times and the silver twice.

The success of the students is based on their dedication, hard work and genuine love of cooking. It has been helped along by the dedication of teacher Suzanne White who works with the teams, year after year, as well as the commitment and skills training from a rotating cast of Prince Edward County chefs including Michael Sullivan of the Merrill Inn, Lili Sullivan of East and Main Bistro and Scott Royce of Waupoos Winery. The 2011 team of iron chefs – Zach DeSousa, Nile Kennedy, Lindsay Palacious and Miranda Miller – is being coached by chef Michael Potters of Angeline’s Restaurant

Picton’s Prince Edward Collegiate Institute will be competiting with Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School from Courtice and Kingston’s Loyalist Collegiate Vocational Institute (LCVI) for this year’s title on Saturday, Feb. 19th. The community is invited to attend and is encouraged to watch the teams work their culinary wonders on the big screen while enjoying the Food and Beverage Show in the college cafeteria.

Other entries this year included:  Bayside Secondary School (Belleville); Eastdale College Vocational Institute (Oshawa); East Northumberland Secondary School (Brighton); Ernestown Secondary School (Odessa); North Hastings Secondary School (Bancroft); St. Theresa Catholic Secondary School (Belleville); Thousand Islands Secondary School (Brockville); and Trenton High School (Trenton).

“The professionalism and skill these high school teams bring to the competition is really amazing,” said Dan Holland, Dean of the Schools of Business and Management Studies, Biosciences, and the Centre for Justice Studies. “It’s evident that they are well-prepared and this year’s competition will be a closely-matched event.”

Professor Margaret Beaumaster welcomes the community to visit the campus Saturday. “The combination of competitive excitement and the vendors representing the food, wine and tourism industries will make for a fun event that can be enjoyed by the entire family. The grand door prize, compliments of Pelee Island Winery, includes a tour of the winery and vineyard, dinner, and an overnight stay in the guesthouse. The first and second-year culinary students will be competing with each other in a Cake Off Challenge and new this year will be the Grilled Cheese Ultimate Showdown between two Loyalist teams. In addition to this being a great community event, the experience our students gain from organizing and hosting an activity of this size is phenomenal.”

Doors open at 10 a.m., close at 3 p.m., and this year’s Junior Iron Chef champions will be announced at 2 p.m. A $5 admission fee will allow guests to sample the Loyalist students’ creations, enjoy mini spa treatments from the Esthetics and Spa Management students, and be eligible for door prizes at the Food and Beverage Show.