LUNCH IS SERVED: Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School Hosts Four-District Entree Competition for Culinary Students

There were about 110 people on hand as students and instructors prepared entrees and desserts for members of the public who dined and then served as judges of which technical high school prepared the best dish. (Photo Courtesy Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School)

MARLBOROUGH — Over 110 attendees, including student chefs, instructors, and hungry diners, gathered Tuesday as Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School hosted three other schools for a delicious Entree and Dessert Competition.

Members of the public were invited to judge the best entree and dessert, as students from Assabet, Salem High School, Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School and Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School showed off their best dishes.

The winner gets bragging rights, a chance to host next year’s competition, and an engraved trophy donated by the country’s oldest professional chefs’ association, the Epicurean Club of Boston.

Students get an opportunity to show off their skills, hear positive feedback from the public, and to work with and learn from students from other schools, according to Assabet Chef Lou Trudeau, who said students will often get new ideas from the recipes and practices of students from other schools.

Students and instructors brought their own ingredients, and then used Assabet’s kitchen and dining facility to prepare and serve their dishes in a buffet-style service.

The competition was previously held for years before stopping in 2018. This year, Assabet’s Lead Culinary Instructor, Chef Alex DeAmicis, worked with Chef Trudeau to bring back this exciting cooking experience for both students and the community.

The goal is to make this an annual event and to attract even more culinary competition programs next year. Assabet is participating in an upcoming Chili Competition that will be held with multiple schools on February 9.

“This was a delicious opportunity for students to show off their skills, to learn from other programs, and to work in a competitive environment while getting meaningful feedback from members of the public,” said Superintendent-Director Ernest F. Houle. “I am grateful to everyone who worked together to make this happen, and grateful to all the students for the incredible dishes I sampled today.”