Staff Reports
Four students from the Wekiva High School Magnet Academy of Culinary Arts (Wekiva Culinary) won EcoLab’s “Seize the Spotlight” competition in Chicago on Sunday, May 18, according to a statement from Wekiva Culinary Program Director Christopher Bates.
The Ecolab “Seize the Spotlight” competition is a partnership between Ecolab ̶ the global leader in food safety and sanitation solutions and services ̶ and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF). The two organizations worked together to create a competition that aims to recognize and reward high school culinary students for their talent, teamwork and passion for foodservice education.
During the last four months, over 500 culinary and restaurant management competition teams from across the United States were invited to create a three-minute video showcasing a signature menu item and a related food truck theme. The judging criteria for the video entries included student innovation, communication skills and teamwork, along with the overall creativity and passion displayed in the video.
Wekiva Culinary students America “Onyx” Castillo, Aubrey Pugh, Zariah Edwards and Diego German-Quen submitted their concept ̶ a Japanese-inspired “Comfort Food” Food Truck they called “Tarruko” ̶ and were announced as first place winners at the National ProStart Invitational in Baltimore on May 1.
Last weekend, the four students traveled to Chicago, met restaurant and industry leaders, toured the National Restaurant Show and served their signature dish from the food truck they had designed during the Sunday night “Bites and Beats Spotlight Event,” sponsored by EcoLab. Approximately 750 restaurant and hospitality industry leaders tasted both dishes and cast votes for their choice. The four student’s creation wowed the crowd and their dish ̶ Bubble Waffles with Asian Fried Chicken ̶ was announced crowd favorite and overall winner just before a concert from Grammy-nominated Shaboozey.
Winning the “Seize the Spotlight” competition marks Wekiva Culinary’s third national title this academic year. Wekiva Culinary also placed second in the NASA HUNCH Culinary Challenge in Houston and fourth in the National ProStart Invitational in Baltimore.
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