Photo by Deb Gau From left to right, Lakeview students Brody Justesen, McKenzy Grunewald and Colen Moudry work to finish plating their entry in the Culinary Skills Challenge, which was held Tuesday at Southwest Minnesota State University.

MARSHALL — Time was ticking down, and Russell-Tyler-Ruthton High School students Contessa Baartman and Kaytlin Gorter were busy chopping, cooking and seasoning ingredients at a tabletop workstation.

Soon, judges would decide if the girls’ chicken mole tacos passed a taste test.

“We were a little worried about the mole sauce, because it was a little spicier than usual,” Baartman said.

But their team would go on to win second place in their event at the Schwan’s Culinary Skills Challenge.

“We had a good time,” Baartman said of competing.

“We’ll definitely do it again,” Gorter said.

The pressure of competition was mixed with cooking demonstrations and hands-on classes Tuesday as the Culinary Skills Challenge returned to Southwest Minnesota State University. More than 200 students from 14 area high schools took part, organizers said.

“We are so excited to host this event again, and we know the students are practicing and preparing for this day of culinary competition and education,” said Gail Polejewski, career development coordinator at the Southwest West Central Service Cooperative. “Food plays such a crucial role in all of our lives, so it is especially inspiring to see all the culinary potential and talent that these students demonstrate.”

Competitive events for students ranged from cooking and cake decorating to knife skills and menu design. Winning teams would receive scholarships for SMSU’s culinology program. SMSU, Schwan’s Company and Yelloh also played a role in leading, sponsoring and judging the events. Polejewski said Yelloh also provided ice cream and chicken breast fillets for the competition.

“This event would not be possible without the generous support from so many in our community,” she said.

Some Lyon County high schools had lots of students competing on Tuesday morning. Teams from Lakeview and RTR worked to prepare their own dishes in the culinary challenge. Lakeview students McKenzy Grunewald, Brody Justesen and Colen Moudry quickly put the finishing touches on a plate of enchiladas before presenting it to the judges.

“We’ve got a Mexican style rice, with bell peppers and a little bit of minced-up jalapenos,” Moudry said.

Getting the whole meal together in the space of an hour, plus setup and plating time, was an intense but fun experience.

“I’ve never really done anything like this before,” Justesen said. “We kind of came here to have fun.”

At one end of the R/A Facility at SMSU, students sat at rows of tables, surrounded by containers of cake frosting and piping tools. Each student had a time limit to decorate a cake or a plate of cupcakes.

“The time ran out fast, but the judges were not as intense as I thought they’d be,” said RTR student Emilea Thooft. Thooft and fellow RTR students Morgan Tommeraasen and Kelsi VanderPlaats said it was their first time competing at the Skills Challenge. Tommeraasen competed in a virtual event last year.

“Our adviser really encouraged us to do it,” Tommeraasen said. Both she and VanderPlaats said they are in Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) at RTR.

The girls said it took practice to get ready for the cupcake decorating competition, as well as creativity. Decorators didn’t have a set list of techniques they had to use on their cupcakes.

“You pick what you want to do, and decorate six,” VanderPlaats said. She and Tommeraasen said they looked to social media sites like Pinterest for inspiration before the competition.

Events like the Culinary Skills Challenge are a way to encourage high school students to explore careers in fields like food science and hospitality, said Maxine Peterson, Family and Consumer Science education specialist at the Minnesota Department of Education.

“They’re really going to learn more about the industry,” Peterson said. She said education in Minnesota is shifting toward a focus on teaching students life and career skills. It’s a move that could help address workforce shortages in the state.

While SWWC was able to hold virtual skills challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was exciting to have an in-person event for students again.

“You can tell this is what they love, the hands-on work,” Peterson said.