Randolph Culinary Students Take First Place in Lebanon

For the second straight year, students from the culinary program at the Randolph Technical Career Center have taken top honors in the annual Chowder Challenge held at the Lebanon Co-op Food Store. Area technical centers including Randolph, Sugar River, Hartford, and Riverbend took part in this competition Feb. 1.

Judging of the chowders was done strictly by customers of the Co-op Food Store in Lebanon. The Chowder Challenge is a program started by Co-op Executive Chef Aron Tomlinson as a way to highlight the work of regional technical centers, while giving their students the opportunity to share their creations in a public setting. Pat Neily, who works as Merchandising Programs Coordinator for the Co-op’s many free public tastings, handled numerous details of this program.

The Randolph students will have their recipe posted on the Co-op web site and the school will also receive a $100 scholarship to be awarded to the culinary student of their choice. This year’s chowder champs from Randolph include students Vanessa Paiva, Danielle Foley, and Cody LaPlante. Their chef instructor is Jerry Sullivan.

"This is a simple idea that has really taken off," stated Co-op Chef Aron Tomlinson. "The kids are so enthusiastic, and the customers take their role as judges very seriously. It’s great to stand back and watch the excitement and activity."

Neily added, "It only takes a few minutes for the students to get used to the spotlight. They like talking with customers and answering questions about their recipes. It’s also nice to help them get some recognition for their hard work."

When Lebanon Co-op Food Store manager, Bob Hayes, finished tallying the votes, the Randolph students’ recipe was the clear winner. This year’s winning Randolph creation was Mexican Corn and Chicken Chowder with Lime Zested Crème Fraiche. The Co-op will post the recipe on the web at www.coopfoodstore.com. The recipe will also be available for free at the Co-op Food Store’s customer service desk.

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