by Mike Knaak
news@thenewsleaders.com
During two days, 15 teams of culinary students cooked dishes for sampling by judges who stopped by their “food trucks” set up in the school’s cooking classroom at Sartell High School.
The Food Truck Challenge judging wrapped up a project that began weeks ago. First students dreamed up a concept, menu and logo. They analyzed the concept’s strengths and weaknesses and created a marketing plan. Recipes were tested and food costs analyzed.
Students completed the project with a menu design and name. Some trucks’ names clearly identified the menu such as the Smoothie Schack or Cookie Caboose. But other trucks enticed eaters with more enigmatic names such as The Food Fellas, Hibachi Hits the Highway or Flamin & Grillin.
The offerings ranged from cookies to waffles, smoothies to enchiladas. Judges, who probably should have skipped lunch, sampled each dish, completed an evaluation form and voted for their winning choices.
“You can be a great chef, but if you don’t have the business skills, you go broke fast,” teacher Joey Vanek said about the class, which covers more than just cooking.
The first Food Truck Challenge took place in 2020 but the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted before the foods could be judged.
