There are dance competitions for dancers and sports tournaments for all kinds of athletes, so what is there for students whose passion is cooking?

If you are a high school student looking to pursue a career as a chef or even a current culinary or hospitality management student, there are plenty of opportunities to participate in competitions and challenges that will allow you to develop your skills and become the best you can be!

Most competitions are hosted by the respective Culinary and Hospitality Management departments of colleges so that they can give their students the opportunity to use their skills and knowledge from the classroom and apply them to real life situations.

For high school students, this gives them a very unique chance to test the waters and see if cooking is really the path they want to pursue. For those who are sure of their choice, these competitions often have scholarships available for the winners to entice them to attend the school’s culinary or hospitality program.

Needless to say, choosing to participate in these competitions is always a win-win. You are challenging yourself, improving yourself and in fact teaching yourself things that would not normally be learnt in a classroom. After all you know what they say, practice makes perfect!

CCI has been able to attend many of these competitions as sponsors and it is always a pleasure to see the high calibre of talent and skill these students possess.

Check out some of these links below to see what these competitions are all about!

Hey it might even encourage you to sign up for the next competition at your school!

Algonquin College

4^th Annual Battle of the Knives Competition

This competition is designed to offer the students of Algonquin College school of Hospitality and Tourism an opportunity to compete in a one of its kind joined culinary and service team competition. The objective of this competition is to encourage the development of team work and cooperation between the front of the house and the back of the house. This is the principle basis of all successful restaurants in the world.

CCI Footage from the 4th Annual Battle of the Knives Competition

Click here for more information:
Algonquin College Battle of the Knives Information Page

Blog Post on Battle of the Knives by Ron Eade

First Annual High School Hospitality Competition

Algonquin College also hosted its First Annual High School Hospitality Competition on April 29^th, 2014.

See the informational poster here: First Annual High School Hospitality Competition

ei●ei●eat

Students4Soup Challenge

ei•ei•eat is a social-mobile platform that will be released in the spring of 2015. ei•ei•eat connects the people and places in the local food ecosystem from coast to coast, making it quick and easy to find and verify local food – raw, ready or served – where ever you go.

ei•ei•eat launched the Students4Soup challenge hosted by Georgian College to promote buying local, stimulate demand for local food and build brand awareness.

This competition was designed for secondary students enrolled in the Simcoe County District School Board, the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board or any other surrounding schools that were interested in joining. Teams had to create an original soup made from no less than 60% locally sourced ingredients.

Click here for more information:

Students4Soup Website 

CTV News Barrie Students4Soup Coverage

Metroland Media Students4Soup Coverage

Takeaways

As you can see there are opportunities to compete at all levels! It is so important to emphasize that participating in these competitions will only improve your skills and talent. It is such a good learning experience that everyone should be taking advantage of. Practice makes perfect, and that being said, the more you compete, the better you will become. Who knows, a few competitions like these under your belt and you might be ready to be the next Top Chef!

 “The ultimate victory in competition is derived from the inner satisfaction of knowing that you have done your best and that you have gotten the most out of what you had to give.”
– Howard Cosell