Troy, Tenn.–Obion County Central High School students put their culinary skills to the test by crafting their own recipes using locally-sourced beef from Giffin Farms, owned by Derek and Micayla Giffin out of Obion County.
The beef was locally sourced through the Obion County Farm to School planning Team with project support from Chastity Homra – Coordinated School Health Director, and Michelle Bruner – OCCHS Culinary Arts Teacher.
“The Obion County Farm to School team sourced beef from Giffin Farms for the taste test, but we had additional frozen beef left over,” said Chastity Homra, Coordinated School Health Director. “The Culinary Arts Students had prepared Giffin Farm Beef for all school cafeterias in November 2021 for a local food taste test. FFA students helped serve the taco-seasoned beef to all students. We decided to host a local beef cook-off to create a fun way to use the local beef and hone the culinary arts students’ skills. I love getting the kids involved so I thought what better way than to have them have a contest. I inquired with Mrs. Bruner and she loved the idea. It was fun hearing how they had to do research on a recipe and then tweak it to make it their own”.
The OCCHS Culinary Arts program offers a hands-on culinary arts training program where students learn about nutrition, cooking techniques, seasonings and flavorings, culinary laws, food safety and career opportunities. These classes introduce students to a set of skills that combine both nutrition and cooking techniques.
Additionally, students receive hands-on training by working in the school cafeteria, side-by-side with school nutrition professionals. They provide meals to teachers and specialty meals.
“Prior to the beef taste test, students surveyed had limited knowledge that they could even source beef locally,” said Caroline Ideus, Obion County Farm to School Coordinator from the Northwest Tennessee Local Food Network. “Collectively, we are trying to find innovative ways to support school nutrition departments in helping them procure local foods and finding ways to return scratch cooking to prepare school meals.”
Under the direction of Culinary Arts instructor Michelle Bruner, the local food cook-off challenge gave the budding chefs the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned in class and receive feedback on their cooking skills. Six teams with a total of 14 students participated throughout the day.
The students, working in teams, created their own specialty recipes from scratch then presented them to a group of judges. The young chefs were judged on the following five categories: recipe development, professionalism, sanitation, presentation, and taste.
“It was a fun experience and I enjoyed creating new recipes,” according to Culinary Arts student, Annabella Wooten.
First place winners, Jennifer Guerrero and Tailior Bolden, worked together to create the perfect beefy quesadilla that included Giffin Farm Beef, diced tomatoes, sliced jalapeno peppers, onions, spices and cheese.
Second place winners, Jason Hood and Charlie Deal crafted Ground Beef Pinwheels including Giffin Farm beef, cream cheese, bacon bits, cheese tortillas, and spices. Third place winners, Annabella Wooten and Connor Mayo worked together to create Breakfast Beef Bites including Giffin Farm beef, eggs, spices, creamed cheese, milk, and biscuits. All winners received a gift certificate from Sonic and the first-place winner’s recipe will be featured in the Northwest Tennessee Local Food Guide Magazine 2022 to be published this spring. You can also find the recipes on the Coordinated School Health website on the homepage of the Obion County Schools website at www.obioncountyschools.com/Page/7956
Beefy Quesadillas
First Place Local Beef Cook-off Winners
By Jennifer Guerrero and Tailior Bolden
Yields: 5 servings
Ingredients
2 pounds of ground beef
4 tomatoes, diced
3 jalapeno peppers, sliced
½ yellow onion, diced
2 T seasoned salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. cumin
2 cups of Mozzarella cheese
1 package of soft tortillas
Preparation
1.Place the beef in a skillet and brown. Rinse the meat in a colander. Add the meat back to the skillet and add garlic powder and cumin.
- Add the onion and serranoes (Jalapenos) to the meat mixture.
3.Once the onion is tender, add your diced tomatoes.
- Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Place your tortilla on a lightly oiled hot skillet and let both sides of the tortilla brown slightly.
- Add cheese and cooked meat.
- Fold the tortilla in half, then remove from the heat and serve.
Photo: Obion County Central High School Culinary Art Student Cook-off Winners, from left: second place winner Jason Hood, first place winner Jennifer Guerrero – 1st place winner, and second place winner Charlie Deal