On Tuesday, February 24, the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario is hosting a Culinary Arts Skills Competition at St. Matthew Catholic Secondary School in Cornwall.

In an effort to promote its new Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) in Hospitality & Tourism, and to showcase the newly expanded culinary arts facilities at St. Matthew Catholic Secondary School, the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario will also be hosting its first, Master Chef Competition. “We were very limited for space before this major renovation to our foods room, and could not successfully host an event like this before,” noted Kelly McDermid, who teaches the program at the school.

The culinary competition format will be “Master Chef.” Students will have a specific time period in order to prepare a dish using secret ingredients – a format popular on many television cooking shows. With a TV show format, it only made sense to get a TV personality to help with the judging. Cornwall native, Executive Chef at Nav Centre, and Chopped Canada finalist Lucas McCabe, has been confirmed as one of the judges.

“We are delighted that Lucas will be here, and we are overwhelmed by the community support,” noted McDermid. “Although there are medals and prizes to be won, the goal of the event is for students to showcase their skills. More importantly, it’s about having fun.”

Seeker Chick Julia Lucio, Managing Editor of the Seeker Newspaper and food reviewer for the Culinary Culprits will also be one of the judges.

In the SHSM program at St. Matthew CSS, students learn food handling, the Canadian food guide and healthy eating. “We may produce a few exceptional chefs along the way and that’s great,” added McDermid, “but the skills learned here are valuable everyday at home, with family. Students are learning, having fun and are more engaged in their education. It’s a win, win.”

For more information on the Master Chef competition at St Matthew Catholic Secondary School, please contact the school, or the board OYAP coordinator Dan Lortie, at 933-1720.