The Education Fund celebrates the culinary dreams and ambitions of high school and middle school students at the 2019 Taste of Education presented by Sapoznik Insurance on Wednesday, Feb. 27, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., at Marlins Park, 501 Marlins Way in Miami.
Taste of Education showcases the gastronomic talents of students from 17 culinary programs in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Students competing in 30 teams will prepare gourmet bites and vie for $20,000 in top prizes.
The judges — top local chefs and hospitality executives — will determine the winning teams. This year’s culinary panel features celebrity chefs Ralph Pagano, Allen Susser, André Bienvenu, Letty Alvarez, Dayanny De La Cruz, Ingrid Hoffmann, Paula DaSilva, and Max Santiago. Each team will present its dish and make a pitch, hoping to wow the judges with their skills and presentations.
Guests will feast on the students’ creations while having an opportunity to “take a selfie with a chef” and enjoy mini-installations including walking through a Food Forest. On the menu is an array of dishes slated to delight the palate: oysters Rockefeller; shrimp and grits; ceviche; jerk cranberry meatballs, and BBQ sliders to name a few.
“A Taste of Education gives high school culinary students a taste of the real world. They get a chance to compete before some of the biggest names in South Florida’s culinary and hospitality industry,” said Linda Lecht, president of The Education Fund. “The student chefs also get an amazing career experience as they quickly plate, offer and explain their dish to each of the 500-plus guests in order to compete for the People’s Choice Award.”
A Taste of Education also celebrates the 225 volunteers in the 2018 Teach-A-Thon, a campaign that fosters awareness of the teaching profession and teaching quality, while raising money for educators and their students. This year’s Teacher Champions featured 100 Wells Fargo employees, CEOs, community leaders and business professionals who “stepped into the shoes” of local educators.
