Monday, August 17, 2009

SkillsUSA student will travel to Canada to compete in culinary competition

Craig Growney of East Rutherford, N.J., and a student at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., will represent the United States in Calgary, Canada, in the WorldSkills Cooking Competition. SkillsUSA, the organization that represents the United States in the WorldSkills Competition, will send 16 total students from various areas of study to compete in the 40th international event to be held Sept. 1 to 7 as part of the United States "WorldTeam."

Growney earned the right to be a member of WorldTeam by winning local, district and national contests in cooking under the SkillsUSA program. Competitors must be under the age of 23. According to WorldSkills International, cooking competitors will be expected to:
  • prepare, season and cook a variety of foods according to recipes
  • create and test new recipes
  • operate machinery associated with food preparation
  • carve meats, determine portion sizes, arrange foods and add sauces, gravies and garnish to servings
  • bake desserts and pastries
  • prepare buffets such as platters and showpieces
  • oversee menu planning, estimate food requirements and obtain the necessary food from storage or from suppliers to maintain an inventory of kitchen provisions
  • prepare and follow budgets
  • supervise kitchen staff
  • understand the needs of special diets due to culture, health or religion

Every two years, hundreds of young people from 51 member countries or regions compete in the prestigious WorldSkills Competition. Considered "the best of the best," these contestants compete for four days in 45 occupational skill areas from economic sectors including manufacturing, information technology, transportation, construction and services. Accompanied by their teachers, trainers and industry technical committee experts, these young people compete before the public in contests that are run by and judged by industry using demanding international standards. For more information, visit www.skillsusa.org or www.worldskills.org.